Beneath the Waves
by Silently Wandering
Summary: Steve Rogers was adjusting. Or trying to anyway. Waking up in the 21st century, leading the Avengers, stopping an Alien invasion. And now this. Meeting the strange girl from under the Pier. Elizabeth Jones. Liz. Liz doesn't let very many people in. But maybe, just maybe, a certain blonde haired blue eyed soldier can change all that. StevexOC with various other parings.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi there Avenger community! This is the first time I am writing for the Avengers. Steve is my favorite and I adore his story line. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. **

**Disclaimer: I do _not _nor have I ever owned the Avengers. The only person that I own is Elizabeth. **

* * *

Steve supposed he shouldn't have been there. JARVIS had warned him that the temperatures were dropping rapidly and would be below Zero before too long. Tony Stark's AI had also warned him of the impending blizzard. While Steve did not live at 'Avengers' tower, he spent nearly every day there. He traveled to the tower in the morning, after he went on his daily run and had breakfast, and he spent the day with his team mates, all of whom had moved into the tower.

Bruce was the first of the Avengers to move into the tower after the Chitari invasion. He had bonded with Tony instantly and the two had become fast friends. Clint was next, followed by Natasha. While the spy was often very private, Clint was actually quite outgoing and, though Steve would never admit it, was actually pretty funny. Natasha was a lovely dame as well. She was smart and brave and reminded Steve very much of Peggy. They had moved into the tower as opposed to living in the quarters that S.H.E.I.L.D had given them. Thor lived there part time as well. Ever since the bifrost was repaired he bopped back and forth between Asgard and Earth, though he spent more time on Earth. Steve knew the god of thunder had a certain soft spot for the planet, but the reason he returned as often as he did was because of Jane Foster.

There were many reasons that Steve resisted moving into the tower. The big reason was because of the Nightmares. Dark twisted visions that tormented his dreams. But they weren't dreams. They were his past. His reality. He did not want people to feel sorry for him. He dealt with the dreams on his own. He was afraid that if he moved into the tower the others would discover the truth.

On this particular night, Steve had lost track of the time. Tony had insisted on a movie night. The had been well into the fourth Harry Potter movie, around the part where the wizards were in the lake with the mermaids, when Steve realized it was two thirty in the morning. Steve stood up abruptly and excused himself, dodging Tonys persistent requests that he stay the night. JARVIS had given his warnings as he rode the elevator down to the bottom level of the tower. He ignored it and left anyway

Steve didn't know what inclined him to take a detour to Coney Island that night. Maybe it was the fact that his mind was to awake to even contemplate sleep. Maybe it was because he was feeling nostalgic and wanted he hadn't been to Coney Island since he was unfrozen (it had been one of the first things he wanted to do after he had woken up). Well for whatever the reason, Steve walked.

He wondered to the Pier. It was empty except for a couple kissing against one side of the pier. Steve went to the opposite side and walked to the end of the pier. The water was dark and Steve knew it would be frigid should he decide to jump into it. He sighed and sat down, crossing his legs and leaning back on his hands.

Steve wasn't sure how long he sat there, but it must have been a while. When he glanced over his shoulder, the couple who had previously been there had left and now Steve was alone. The cold began to get to him and he decided it be best to retreat to the warmth of his apartment. He stood up and turned to leave.

Before he could take one step away from the edge, he heard it. If he had not had the super solider serum, he would not have been able to pick up the noise. There was a cough, splashing, and then gasping.

Steve took a step closer to the edge of the dock, peering over the side to try to get a better view. He pulled his winter coat tightly around him. Though the serum minimized the effects of the cold, he still disliked it. He supposed spending nearly seventy year frozen in a block of ice would do that to a guy.

The panting noises continued.

"Hello," Steve called quietly over the edge, there was a sharp intake of breath. "I know you're down there."

There was no response, but Steve head the painting continue.

"Are you alright," He called again. "Are you hurt?"

"G-go away," A soft, feminine, voice called out to him. She sounded weak, but firm.

"Please," He replied. "I want to help you."

"G-go. A-away. N-now."

Steve frowned. "No. I'm not leaving. I'm coming down there." He stepped up onto the side.

"N-NO!" The girl shrieked.

Steve stopped, but did not step down from the edge. "Are you hurt?"

There was a pause. "No." She replied eventually.

"What's wrong?"

"C-cold," The girl sighed. "T-tired."

Steve could not see the girls face, but he could almost hear the exhaustion in her voice.

"Why are you in the water."

There was a laugh. "No where else to be."

"Do you need a place to stay?" Steve didn't know what compelled say it, but he did not regret it.

She laughed again. "Are you offering?"

"Maybe."

"You don't even know my name," She whispered.

"I know you must be cold."

"Oh like you wouldn't believe."

Steve smiled. "Trust me I believe you. I can help."

"I doubt it."

"Come on out of the water. I'll help you.'

"Listen Mr…."

"Rogers. Steve Rogers."

"Mr. Rogers. You seem like a decent guy, but I'm really fine."

"Now you listen Miss….."

She chuckled. "Elizabeth."

Steve didn't push the last name. "Well, Elizabeth, let me help you."

Elizabeth sighed. "It isn't that simple Steve Rogers," She sighed again. "But alright. I'll meet you at the end of the pier."

There was another splash and then silence. Steve stood up and headed toward the end of the pier. He was walking faster then usual, eager to meet the girl. He got there before she did. Nothing to do but wait. His phone vibrated and he took it out of his pocket.

_Hey cap, you sort of sprinted out in a hurry, you good?_

It was a message from Clint's phone, but Steve figured it was Natasha's doing.

_Yeah. _His fingers were too cold to reply anything else.

"Nice phone." Steve's head snapped up. A girl, younger then him by the looks of her, stood in front of him. Her hair was a dark dark brown and it fell in waves to the middle of her back. Her eyes were a pale green. Her skin was tanned in a way that reminded him of a surfer. She seemed completely dry despite having been in the water. But that isn't what surprised Steve. What really surprised him was the way she was dressed. SHe was wearing white cotton, drawstring shorts, and a black t-shirt. She was barefoot and shivering.

Steve quickly shrugged off his coat and wrapped it around her shoulders.

She smiled softly. "Thank you Steve Rogers." She pulled the coat tightly around her.

"Your quite welcome Elizabeth," He held out his hand. "Come on." She took it, without hesitation.

* * *

Steve fixed up the couch with a spare blanket and a pillow from his bed. He had not formally invited the girl to spend the night, but he had no intention of sending her back out into the frigid December air. She was showering now. Steve had given her a pair of his sweatpants (though he was sure they would be entirely too large on her) and an old, faded, t-shirt. It was the best he could do on such short notice. She had been in the shower for about twenty minutes. The first thing Steve had done when she went in was hide his shield and uniform. He had done his best to keep his identity a secret so far and he had no intention of sharing it with a stranger.

He had just finished making up the couch when the water stopped. Steve headed into the kitchen to make a cup of tea for his guest. His apartment, which had been given to him by S.H.E.I.L.D shortly after he had woken up from the ice, was not big by any means. He had a main living area slash kitchen. The short hallway led to a bedroom with a bathroom connected to it. It wasn't nearly as luxurious as anything Tony Stark would have provided for him, but it gave Steve the peace he so desperately need these days.

As Steve finished preparing the tea, he heard the door to his bedroom open. He couldn't help but smile as he went to set the two mugs down on the coffee table. He sat in the old arm chair and waited.

It didn't take long for Elizabeth to emerge from his bedroom. She was practically swimming in his clothes. She had had to roll the waist on the sweatpants numerous times and the t-shirt came down to the middle of her thigh. Despite that, she looked better. She had her hair pulled up into a messy bun and she wasn't shivering anymore.

Steve smiled at her and gestured to the mugs on the table "I made you some tea."

She smiled and sat down on the couch, pulling her legs up so they were crossed. She picked up the mug closest to her and took a long slip, closing her eyes and savoring the warmth. She swallowed and looked at him. "Thank you Steve Rogers."

"Just Steve."

"Hmm?"

"Just call me Steve ma'am."

She smirked. "Okay Steve, but you have to call me Liz. Not ma'am."

"Why not Elizabeth?" Steve picked up his own cup of tea and took a sip.

Elizabeth winced. "No one really calls me that. Just mom parents, and my grandmother before she passed."

"I'm sorry."

Elizabeth-Liz- laughed. "Don't be Steve. She was ninety two. Died peacefully in her sleep." She took another sip of tea. It was a few minutes before either of them spoke again. She broke the silence. "Why?" Her voice was barely above a whisper.

Steve frowned, though he was fairly certain that he knew what she was talking about. "Why what?"

"Why did you help me?"

Steve shrugged. He wasn't quite sure of the answer himself. He didn't know a single thing about her besides her name and the fact that her grandmother had passed away. But there was something about her. He wanted to help her. Maybe it was just in Captain America's nature to help those in need. He wasn't sure how to answer so he settled for "Because you needed it."

She saved into her cup and smiled. "You're a good man Steve. I wish I knew more about you."

Steve chuckled. "Ask anything you'd like." He wasn't sure how honestly he would be able to answer some of her questions, but he would do what he could.

She bit her lip. "Okay, how about this. I'll ask I question and after you answer it, you ask one. If you don't I get to ask another and vice versa Sound fair?"

Steve chuckled. "Sure does."

She took a deep breath. "Um, okay. Are you from New York?".

Steve nodded. "Brooklyn, born and raised. How about you?"

Liz nervously tugged at her hair with the hand that wasn't holding the mug. "I'm from California. LA, born and raised."

Steve's eyes widened ever so slightly. "What are you doing all the way out here?"

She shrugged. "I've been traveling. Do you live with anyone?"

"Nah, it's just me," Steve set down his half empty tea mug. "What's your last name."

She sighed. "Jones. But I haven't used it in a long time."

"Why?"

She chuckled. "Uh uh uh, it's my turn to ask a question," She bought for a second. "How old are you?

He smiled. "Twenty five. Now about that last name thing?"

She rolled her eyes. "I left home when I was eighteen. My parents, well, lets just say that they didn't exactly support me as much as they should have. I haven't spoken to them since I left. That was five years ago. I dropped the last name when I left." She didn't sound upset or angry, just hurt. But Steve had gotten her age from that answer as well. She was twenty three.

"What do you do for a living?" Her question broke through his thoughts.

"I'm in the army. Joined straight out of school. I'm on leave right now."

"Ah."

Steve contemplated his next question carefully before asking it. Eventually curiosity got the better of him. "Why were you in the water?"

His enhanced hearing picked up her sharp intake of breath. "Kind of a long story."

"We've got all night."

She chuckled. "Ask two questions. I'm not answering that one. Not tonight." She place her mug on the table.

Steve picked up both mugs and stood. "You must be tired. Sleep. We'll talk in the morning." Liz nodded and pulled back the covers on the couch.

"Take my room," Steve said.

"No, no I couldn't possibly-"

"Liz, go. It's fine."

"But-"

"No."

"That's not-"

Steve sighed. "Liz, if you don't take my bed, I'll sleep out here on the floor. Go." Liz stood up, blinking, and headed toward the bedroom.

She opened the door and froze. "Thank you," She whisper, before closing the door behind her.

* * *

Liz woke up to the smell of bacon. She groaned and rolled over to look at the clock on Steve's bedside table. 9:30. She sighed. She had, had the intention of waking up early and slipping out before Steve woke up. Guess that plan was out the window. Oh! Maybe the window. Liz looked around the room and groaned again. No windows. She sat up and stretched, then quickly made the bed for Steve. If he was nice enough to let her have the room, the least she could do was make the bed for him.

She quietly headed down the hall and to the kitchen area. Steve was standing at the stove, wearing grey sweat pants and a white t-shirt. He was speaking to someone on the phone.

"No, no, no Tony I won't be coming over today," He paused. "Whatever Tony. I don't care." Another pause. "Don't call me that. It's not funny." Pause. "Fine. Bye Tony." He hung up his cellphone and placed it on the counter.

She stepped into the kitchen and he turned and smiled at her.

"Hey, I made pancakes, and bacon and there's orange juice in the fridge."

Liz smiled. He seemed nervous. She didn't have much experience with guys, and the experiences she did have weren't good. Three boyfriends in high school, all asses. and one guy, Ryan, who had been traveling with her for the last two years. That is until he found out the truth. She couldn't blame him though. She would have left too.

"Thank you," Liz replied. "But I really do need to go."

Steve frowned. "Where?"

"Huh?"

"Where will you go?

Liz shrugged. "I've been traveling for a while. I know how to handle myself."

"I don't doubt it. Doesn't mean you can't have breakfast with me."

Liz chuckled. "Is this a date Mr. Rogers?"

Steve chuckled as well. "It's breakfast Miss. Elizabeth."

Steve set two plates on the table and gestured for Liz to sit down. She did. Something else she learned about Steve, he was an amazing cook.

"This is amazing Steve," It had been a while since Liz had had a good meal.

"Thank you," Steve swallowed am mouth full of bacon and frowned at her. "Can I ask a question?"

Liz hesitated, but nodded.

"Do you need somewhere to stay?"

"What?"

"I mean, I'm alone here, and the couch is actually very comfortable. If you needed a place to stay for a few day, or weeks, or as long as you need too. I don't-"

"Steve," Liz interrupted. "You're rambling."

"Sorry."

"Are you… inviting me …. to stay with you?"

Steve nodded once.

She smirked. "We met yesterday and already your asking me to move in with you."

Steve blushed. "No no not like that, I just-"

"Relax Steve. I understand," She pushed her food around on her plate. "Maybe, just one day or two, tops. On one condition though."

Steve laughed and got up to put his plate in the sink. "And what is that?"

Liz smiled. "I sleep on the couch."

* * *

**I know where I want this story to go and I am really excited for this. I have written some other fanfics for other things on different accounts, but I have never done one for the Avengers. Sorry if this seems rushed, but I need their relationship to develop so I can get to the plot. I'm excited for this. Let me know what you think.**

** (Oh and sorry if my descriptions of Coney Island are not exact. I've been to New York before, but never Coney Island. Sorry :/)  
**


	2. Chapter 2

**Okay so here it is. Chapter 2. You do find out Liz's secret in this chapter! I hope you guys like it. Thank you to the people who reviewed. I promise this story isn't just going to be romance. Their is an actual plot and a a villain. Just bare with me. I still have a few more things that I need to set up before I can get to there. **

**Disclaimer: I own Liz. Everything else, not so much.**

* * *

"Seriously Cap it's been a week, if you don't come over today, we're coming over there and breaking the door down. Banner will go all Hulk on your ass-"

"No I won't Steve!" Bruce Banner's voice interrupted Tony Stark. Steve had been on the phone with them for twenty minutes trying to convice them that he was not dying and he just needed some time alone. Liz had insisted he put the phone on speaker. She was now sitting on the couch, trying desperately to conceal her laughter.

"Okay, okay, fine, but Barton's on my side," Tony insisted.

"Yep!" Barton called.

"See. Now get you're patriotic ass over here. Pepper made waffles and Thor is back from Asgard. Everyone is here. You have to. No debating it."

"Tony-"

"Nope."

"But I-"

"Either you come to us or we come to you. You have one hour." With that, he hung up the phone. Steve sighed and put his phone on the counter.

Liz erupted in laughter. She stood up and walked over to the counter. She pulled herself up so she was sitting criss cross on the counter. "So that was your team huh?" The whole, Steve Rogers is Captain America thing came out two days ago while they were eating pizza.

_"I know by the way," She had told him before taking a bite of pizza._

_"Know what?" Steve said before bitting his own slice of pizza._

_"That you're Captain America," She rated simply. _

_Steve choked and spit out his pizza, earning a giggle from Liz. He whipped his mouth before replying. "What makes you say that?"_

_Liz blushed. "I wasn't snooping or anything. I promise. But yesterday, while you were out running, I needed to borrow another shirt. I sort of…found the shield."_

_Steve stared at his plate. "Oh."_

_She reached across the table to touch his arm. "Please don't be mad at me. I honestly didn't mean to. And I won't tell anyone. I swear."_

_Steve sighed. "I trust you Liz."_

_Her eyes widened. "Really?''_

_Steve laughed. "Why do you sound so surprised?"_

_Liz shrugged and poked at her pizza. "It's just, it's been a while since someones trussed me."_

_It was Steve's turn to pat her arm. "Do you trust me?"_

_She blinked and slowly turned her gaze to his. "Yes." She whispered. "I do."_

Steve had given her some money to go get clothes after that. It wasn't much, but now at least she had some jeans and other warm clothes. Though for what ever reason she still preferred to wear Steve's button down shirts. It was becoming clear to both of them that this 'one or two night' stay was going to last a lot longer.

The two had spent their second night together talking. Thats all they did. They sat on the couch and talked. The two quickly became friends. Steve hadn't really spoken to anyone outside of the Avengers and S.H.E.I.L.D since waking up in the 21st century. It's not that he actively tried to avoid people, he just didn't really go out much. It was strange to be in a city that was familiar but also so different from the one that he had grown up in. The people he had known were gone, and the people who lived in the city now,well, they had changed with the times….and he hadn't.

"So when do you have to leave?" Liz asked, reaching across Steve to steal his cup of coffee. She was wearing a pair of blue skinny jeans and a red and black plaid button up shirt that belonged to Steve. She had the sleeves pushed up so they wouldn't get in the way.

Steve shrugged. "Stark's place isn't that far from here, but I don't have to go."

Liz laughed. "Yeah you do. Their your friends."

"You're my friend too."

"I'll still be here when you get back."

"Promise?"

Liz nodded. When she first came back to Steve's apartment, she didn't think she would be there for twenty four hours, let alone a whole week. She knew it couldn't last forever. Sooner or later Steve would find out, and when he did, he wouldn't want to be her anything. If she was a normal twenty three year old girl, she and Steve could have possible been real friends, maybe even more then friends. She wasn't using him. She really wasn't. She did like him. More then she should like him. She was having fun with him. They talked about everything. He actually listened to her. But she had to leave.

But not tonight. Liz nodded. "Yes Steve, I'll be here when you get back."

"I'll probably be back after dinner. Help your self to anything in the fridge, or order take out if you want."

Liz rolled her eyes and nudged his shoulder. "I'm a big girl Steve, I'll be fine. Now go before the Avengers come and break down your door."

Steve nudged her back. "Okay, see you later." Steve grabbed the keys to motorcycle and his phone. Before he left, he scribbled down his cellphone number for Liz, in case she needed something. He waved to her on the way out. Once he was gone Liz slid off the counter and put the coffee mug in the sink. She sighed and rolled her shoulders. She needed a nap and a shower. She went over to Steve's book shelf to find something to read before going into Steve's room to lay down.

* * *

"Ah the Capsicle lives!' Tony Stark said as Steve exited the elevator on the common room floor. After it was destroyed during the Chitari invasion, Tony and Pepper had redesigned Stark tower. The tower, now formally known as Avengers Tower, consisted of Tony and Peppers floor on the top, followed by a floor for each member (Steve included though he had yet to use it). After that was a community floor with the kitchen and the living room. They of course there were all the floors for the employees of Stark industries. The employees did not have access to the Avengers floors.

When Steve arrived, he was greeted by all the Avengers. Bruce was siting in the armchair, a book in his hands. He smiled at Steve when he came in before returning his attention to the book. Pepper was in the kitchen area, standing over a waffle iron. She already had a plate piled high with waffles. She smiled and waved at him. Tony was sitting at the table, his feet up. Well he was trying to keep his feet up, but Pepper kept pushing them off the table. He had just propped them back up when he noticed Steve and greeted him in a way that only Tony Stark would. Clint and Natasha were sitting on the couch. They were watching she sort of game on the television.

Natasha smiled and Clint waved and said. "Sup Cap."

Thor was leaning against the arm of the couch. "Greetings friend Steve. It is good to see you well."

Steve smiled. "Thanks Thor, how is Jane?"

"She is well. Jane and Lady Darcy are spending a week in London with Jane's mother."

"That's good for her," Steve took his jacket off, hung up, then walked over to take a seat next to Tony at the table. "Does she know that your back?"

"Yes. I spoke to her this morning."

"So what about you Cap," Clint said, standing up and walking over to the table. Natasha, Thor, and Bruce followed his lead. Everyone took a seat and Pepper put he pancakes and bacon on the table. "Where have you been."

Steve shrugged and leaned back in his seat. "Around."

Natasha raised an eyebrow at him and smirked. Damn it. She probably knew he was hiding something. Natasha always seemed to know everything about everyone, sometimes even before they knew it themselves.

"Around?" Tony asked slowly and skeptically.

"Yeah, around," Steve said a little too defensively.

"Chill Cap, we were just curious," Clint said as he began to pile his plate high with waffles.

Pepper put a jug of orange juice on the table and then sat down next to Tony. "Well it's good to see you again Steve."

"And you too Pepper," It had taken awhile but Steve had stopped calling Natasha and Pepper "ma'am". Pepper refused to answer to it claiming that it made her feel old, and Natasha threatened to sew his mouth shut if he didn't stop (not that he thought she actually would, but you could never be too careful with Natasha). For whatever reason, he had only called Liz ma'am once. The thought of Liz made him smile.

"Look at Stevie, he's blushing," Stark said, taking a bite of his food.

"I'm not," Steve replied.

CLint snorted. "Yeah you kind of are."

"Whatever," Steve stabbed at it waffle.

"Does this have anything to do with why you were awol for a week?" Tony smirked.

"Just drop it Tony," Steve muttered.

"Aw he's mad. Come on Cap, tell us what you've ben up too," Tony pushed.

"Nothing."

"Leave him alone Stark," Natasha said, glaring at him.

"Come on Tasha, you've got to be a little bit curious about what he's been up too," Clint added, siding with Tony.

Bruce leaned forward slightly. "Let's just drop it." He said.

"No, I want to know why Cap though it was okay to go missing in action for a week," Tony replied, turning his attention back to Steve. "So?"

Steve pushed his plate back and stood up. "I don't need to sit here and take this."

"Steve-," Pepper began, but stopped when Steve held up his hand. "Thank you for breakfast Pepper. I'm sorry it was cut short."

Pepper smiled sadly, but nodded. Steve nodded to the rest of his team before grabbing his jacket and leaving the room. The team waited in silence until JARVIS confirmed that Steve had indeed left the tower.

Pepper slapped Tony on the arm.

"Ow! What was that for?" He asked rubbing at his arm.

"You couldn't let it go, you had to push," Bruce said shaking his head.

"The poor guy has enough going on without you butting into his personal business Tony," Pepper said sadly. "He's probably just trying to figure everything out and you are not making it easy for him."

The couple argued back and forth, the subject slowly changing from Steve to the fact that Tony never hangs to towels up in the bathroom. Clint smirked and leaned over to whisper in Natasha's ear. "You know what's up don't you?"

Natasha shrugged.

Clint grinned. "You gonna tell me?"

She shrugged again. "Steve will tell you. When he's ready."

Just when that would be, Natasha did not know.

******2**

Steve was less angry and more annoyed by the time he got back to his apartment. He could understand why his team would want to know what he's been up too, but they should also understand that he had a few things he wanted to keep to himself. Steve sighed as he parked his motorcycle in the garage. S.H.E.I.L.D had provided him with a car and two spaces in the buildings Garage, but Steve rarely used the car. In fact, he couldn't think of one time he had.

Steve entered the apartment and heard the shower running. He smiled. He was glad Liz was still here. "Liz, I'm back." He called, knowing she would here him. He was half way done taking his jacket off when he heard a thumb and then a groan.

"Liz?" He called.

No reply.

He abandoned his jacket on the floor and ran to the bathroom. He was pounding on the door. "Liz! Liz are you okay?"

"I, I'm good."

"Cover yourself, I'm coming in," Usually he wouldn't barge in like this, but she sounded groggy. He wanted to make sure she hadn't hit her head or something. It sounded like she had fallen.

"NO! Uhh, I mean, no I'm okay," There was sounds of struggling and moving on the other side of the door.

Steve sighed and, knowing full well he was invading her privacy (he would be sick over this for days), pushed the door open.

Steve's jaw dropped. Now, being an avenger, he had seen some pretty strange things. He had gone from a skinny asthmatic to a super soldier in a matter of minutes. He had seen a man peel off his face and become the red skull. Hell, a few months ago he saw an army of alien invaders come out of a portal in the sky and shoot his city. Steve had seen all this, and he was still shocked by what he saw on the other side of the door.

"Liz?" He whispered.

Liz looked up at him, her pale green eyes sad, with just a hint of anger. She was lying on the floor, a towel wrapped across her stomach, she had what looked like a black bikini top on. And her legs, well, they weren't there. In their place was a long, powerful looking, scaly, black tail.

"I told you not to come in," She whispered.

* * *

**Okay, so I would like to know, would you guys prefer shorter, more frequent chapters, or longer ones that get published a littler farther apart? What do you guys think of the story? Please let me know. Remember to review. Until next time :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey! Sorry for the late update, but I have the next chapter already done. I should be able to post it later on today! Enjoy!**

* * *

"Steve?" Liz whispers, trying desperately to cover her tail. Steve was standing there, staring at the place her legs should have been, his mouth slightly opened and his eyes wide. "Steve please. Say something. Anything. Scream if you want to. Scream _at _me if you wand to. Call me a freak, tell me you want me leave and never come back. Just say _something_."

Steve walked over to her slowly ad knelt by her side. Liz pushed herself up so she was leaving against the side of the tub. Her hair was dropping, making a small puddle on the ground around her. Her red, watery, eyes were fixed intently on her hands, which were playing with the towel in her lap. Steve reached out and gently wiped the tear that was making its way down her face. She turned her gaze toward him, green eyes meeting blue.

"Why," He whispered slowly. "On earth do your think I would want you to leave?"

Liz couldn't hold it in anymore. She began sobbing hysterically, leaning her head on Steve's shoulder. Steve cautiously wrapped his arm around her.

"Shh, it's okay, Liz. It'll be alright," He grabbed her shoulders and held her at arms length. "We should talk. Maybe you could, um, change back, or…"

Liz laughed once, tears still in her eyes. "Yeah. Um, when I change back I won't, um, have clothes on, so um…meet you in the living room?"

Steve's cheeks turned red, but he nodded and left the bathroom. He leaned against the counter and took a deep breath. He rubbed his eye, suddenly feeling drained. He needed to do something. He began boiling water, planning to make tea. Tea had become sort of their thing. Once the water was boiling he walked over to his discarded jacket and picked it up. He pulled out his phone and hung up the jacket. He had fournew text messages and four missed calls.

_Sorry about Tony, please answer the phone. _-Pepper

_Tony wasn't thinking. I should have said something, we're worried. _-Banner

_Sorry about before, didn't mean it. Just curious. _-Barton

_I understand Steve. I really do. Tell us when you're ready. _-Natasha

Thor had called twice (Steve knew he was not sure how texting worked and he could understand see in as he had just gotten the hang of it himself). Pepper had called once and so had Tony. The last one surprised him. He didn't have time for this know though. He was confused and he felt a headache coming on. He put his phone in his back pocket and went back to the kitchen.

He heard the door open and looked up to see Liz standing there. She had legs again. She was barefoot, as she typically was, and wearing a pair of Steve's grey sweatpants (which were obviously to large for her) and a three quarter sleeve, fitted black shirt. Her hair was down and nearly completely dry.

"Hi," She whispered.

"Hi," He responded in a voice just as quiet. "Sit down. I'll finish making this, then we'l talk."

Liz nodded and sat on the chair, her legs folded beneath her. Steve finished the tea and walked over, handing her a cup before sitting down on the couch.

"Okay, talk," Steve demanded gently.

Liz sighed and traced the rim of her cup. "I don't know where to start."

"How about the beginning. Where you always a, um…" He trailed off.

Liz smirked. "A mermaid?"

Steve chuckled. "Yeah."

Liz shook her head. "No. I was born and raised like a normal girl. I was a normal girl. I had a great family. My parent loved me, oldest of three siblings, and my grandmother lived with us. My brother and sister were more intelligent then I was. Good grades, tons of after school activities and all that." She stopped.

"Then how did it happen?"

"It's a very long story," She whispered.

"We have time."

Fresh tears began to pour down her face. She wiped them away hastily before continuing. "Well, freshman year came and for a month or two, everything was fine," Her tears came faster now."Then came the blackout period. I remember being taken. I was walking home from school when a man came up behind me and knocked me out. Then there is a six month period where I don't really remember much. Bits a pieces come back to me from time to time. I remember being cold and I think I was in a cage at one point." She shivered.

Steve reached out and rubbed her arm gently.

She took a deep breath on continued. "At one point they were moving me. That's were my memories sort of pick up in full swing again. I was in the back of a van. The tied my hands, but nothing else. I guess they thought I was still out of it. Lucky for me I had taken martial arts and self defense classes since I was able to walk. Most little girls want to dance, but I wanted to 'kick butt,' " Liz laughed sadly. "My mom let me take classes, as long as I stayed in Ballet. My mind was still a bit hazy, but I managed to knock the guy who was supposed to be guarding me out and take his keys. I tucked and rolled out the back. The driver never even noticed."

"I realized I was somewhere in Montana. I found a Diner that let me use their phone and I called my parent. They called the local authorities and then flew out to meet me. They really were worried sick. Gran stayed with my brother and sister. After a few hours of questions they let me go. Some higher up agency got involved. Never told me the name. They gave me a number to call if my memories started to come back and we got the next flight home."

Steve bit his lip. He had a sneaking suspicion that S.H.I.E.L.D had been the agency Liz was talking about, but he didn't bring it up. It was her turn to tell her story. They would figure the rest out later.

Liz put her now empty cup down before continuing. "When I got home all I wanted to do was take a shower and go to sleep. I hugged Gran and my siblings and went upstairs. I went to the sink and splashed water on my face. Next thing I know, I'm falling to the ground, screaming, I'm topless and I have a tail."

Steve frowned. "All it takes is water?"

Liz shook her head. "You're getting ahead of me. When I screamed my parents and grandmother came running. When they saw me my mother screamed, which is what got my brother and sisters attention. Things sort of went down hill from there. My parents decided the keep what I was a secret. Gran talked dad out of homeschooling. I wanted to go to school. Sometimes when your kidnapped people don't know how to go back to a normal life, but I wanted to try. I had some friends. Most avoided me, probably trying to give me space or whatever. Over the next year or so, I had a few boyfriends. Each one kind of left when they realized how broken I was. My parents insisted I come straight home after school. I couldn't join a club if I wanted too."

"They sort of avoided me too. They never talked about it, never mentioned it, and they barely talked to me. I think I scared my brother and sister as well. They talked to me, but it wasn't the same. We weren't friends, we were just related. The only one who still treated me like me was Gran. She passed away in the middle of my Junior year. After that I sort of shut down. I knew the minuted I turned eighteen I was out of there. So as soon as June 27th hit, I was out of there. Never looked back, never left a note. Just left."

"What my family didn't know was I had been working on controlling my condition. In the beginning every drop of water that I came in contact with would change me. Over time, I learned to control it. When I left home, I could stand in the shower without changing. It took a lot of concentration, but I could do it. Now, I can pretty much shower without thinking about it too much. You surprised me, which is why I changed. Too many things going on in my head."

"Anyway, after I left, I travelled for a while. I swam to Mexico and was able to get in relatively easily. I traveled across the country, they wound up in the Gulf and swam to Florida. I realized I can swim faster then other people and I can hold my breath indefinitely. I met Chase in Florida. He was nice to me. I was a lost Twenty one year old at that point. He was nice to me. We traveled around the world in his boat for more then two years. I thought he loved me. Long story short, he found out, called me a freak, and sort of tried to kill me while I was sleeping."

Steve's fist clenched in rage. Liz smiled and rubbed his knuckles. "It's okay. I'm used to people thinking I'm a freak. A few others have found out over the years. All of those times ended with me leaving. I left Chase in September and swam. I just kept swimming. No goal really. And they I found you. That was the first time I changed back in nearly four months. You're the first person to show me kindness in a long long time Steve."

It was quiet then. Steve knew she had finished telling her tale, and he had questions. So many. But he couldn't find the words. She smiled. "Ask. I know you want too."

"How?"

She shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine. Closest I can guess is the people who took me experimented. Played with my DNA. Other then that I have know idea. Like I said, the memories are kind of fuzzy."

"You sad you were…..topless the first time?"

Liz laugh and brushed her thumb across his cheek. "You're blushing. Yeah I was. I found out quickly that what ever I put on when I am in 'mermaid form' stays that way. I found the black bathing suit top quickly, put it on, and the next time I changed it was still there. Don't ask me 'where it goes' or anything cause I have no clue."

"I'm sorry," He whispered.

She laughed once. "Why on earth are you sorry?"

"Just, that this happened to you," He replied.

Liz smiled and moved front he chair to couch, so she was next to him. Even sitting down she had to look up at him a bit. "Steve, some good did come out of this. If i hadn't have been changed, I would have never met you. You are the only person in my life who hasn't run away from what I am. I've been running for years."

His blue eyes stared intently into her green (though they were rather red and puffy now) ones. "Liz," He whispered. "I-" He was interrupted by a loud shrill beeping.

Liz covered her ears. "What the heck?"

"It's the signal Stark built into the phones. It mean the Avengers are being summoned." Steve pulled his phone from his back pocket and answered it.

"Hello?"

"Steve, sorry to bother you, but Fury needs to see us. He said you better gear up," the voice of Bruce banner said quickly. "Listen about before-"

"Save it for later Banner, I'm on my way," Steve replied and then he hung up the phone. He looked at Liz. "I have to go."

She smiled. "I know."

"Liz, I don't care what you are. I care who you are. All I'm saying is you better be here when I get back." He walked over the the bookshelf and pulled out a book he had hidden there. He hand it to her. "This is one of Starks phones, He gave me an extra. In case I broke mine. The numbers different. It has my phone number in it. Try to avoid calling if you can, but text me anytime." It felt weird to say, but he meant it.

Liz nodded and took the box. "Steve I-"

Steve held his hand up to stop her. "I don't want to leave Liz. I really don't. But it's my job. We'll talk about it when I get back."

She nodded. "Yeah we will. I'll be here. I promise."

With that Steve grabbed his Suit and his shield and left the confused half mermaid alone in the tiny apartment.

* * *

"Took you long enough," Tony grumbled when Steve entered the conference room. Everyone was there. Well everyone except Fury. Tony, and Bruce were on one side of the table, Tony slouched forward and Bruce sitting up straight. Thor was leaning against the wall. CLint and Natasha were on the other side of the table, both completely dressed in the uniforms.

Steve took the seat next to Natasha near the head of the table. He tried to focus. He needed to be prepared for whatever situation Fury assigned to them. It wasn't easy though. His thoughts kept wandering to Elizabeth. She had seemed to lost and scared when she was telling him her story. He didn't know what it was about her, but something made him want to protect her. He wanted to shield her from any and everything that might hurt her.

Bruce frowned at him. "Are you alright Steve?" Was he really being that obvious?

Luckily, Fury chose that moment to walked in. He stood at the head of the tabled and folded his hands behind his back.

"We have a situation," He stated simply.

Tony snorted. "Really? I though you called us here for a tea party."

Fury glared at him, but continued. "There are four unidentified teenagers and bomb threat."

Clint frowned and raised an eyebrow. "Sounds real threatening."

"Ordinarily we would just send in a S.H.E.I.L.D agent in to find and disarm the bomb, but the problem here is the teenagers."

"What is so threatening about adolescent humans?" Thor asked.

"Well these teenagers are different. They appear to have special abilities. I did send in three separate agents and each one has come back….well they came back and they are lucky that they did. I wanted to send you all in. Neutralize the threat." Fury gave then their locations and dismissed them.

"Whats the plan Cap?" Clint leaned back and propped his feet up on the table.

"Stark and Thor will enter from the sky, Natasha and I on the ground. Clint I want you up on a roof, let us know if there's anyone else and keep an eye on things. Banner, I don't know how strong these kids are, but if we can't avoid releasing the Hulk in the middle of the city, I would like to. But I do want you there on standby."

Bruce nodded. While he had gotten the Hulk under control for the most part, there was still usually damage done to wherever they were. Steve usually didn't give Bruce an order until they got there and were able to accurately asses the situation. Bruce was very grateful that Steve avoided using the Hulk if he could. It had gotten better, but Bruce still wasn't to sure about using the other guy if he didn't have to.

Tony jumped up. "All right Capsicle, we better suit up."

* * *

When they got there, Steve determined that Bruce was not going to have to Hulk out today. The four teenagers were easily visible. Police had blocked off the street, but none of them dared to get close to the four teenagers creating a sort of blockade against the building. There were three boys and a girl. Two of the boys were identical, pale hair, pale skin, and startlingly purple eyes that appeared to be slitted like cats eyes. The third boy was larger then the other two. He look older then the other two and had one heavily muscled arm around the girl.

The girl was a tiny little thing. She was probably about half of Steve's height. She was ghostly pale and hair very long inky black hair. Her arms were crossed and she had glasses on. The girl turned her head and spotted Steve and Natasha standing by the building across the street. She whispered something so softly that even Steve's super hearing could not pick it up. The muscled guy smiled and and removed his arm from the girls shoulder.

The next thing Steve knew, the guy had shoved Natasha back into a building. The guys was pining her to the building. She deliver a kick to his groin. He grimaced, but he didn't release his hold on the Black Widow. Steve pulled the kid off her and threw him half way across the street.

"He's strong," Black Widow stated simply. The kid had stood up and rushed them again. So he was super fast and super strong. He struck at the black Widow again, but Natasha was electing it this time. They danced around each other, the kid swinging and Natasha dodging and striking.

"Try to get into the building Cap, I got this," She called. She pulled out a knife and slashed at the kid, who dogged her.

"How's it looking Hawkeye?" Steve asked.

"Just the four of them Cap," Hawkeye answered.

"Be ready to shoot," Steve said.

"Already am," Steve could almost her the smirk in Clint's voice.

Steve ran toward the building. "Thor," He said into his earpiece. "Shock the other three. Not bad, just enough to distract them. Tony you and me are me are going to go find the bomb."

"You got it Cap," Tony said at the same time Thor said "As you wish Captain."

Steve was nearing the three other teenager. He heard Iron Man flying above him. He saw Thor's lightning heading for one of the two boys. The girl smirked and stepped in front of the boy and smiled. The lightning struck her, but she didn't react. She sighed and tilted her head back. She let out an eerie giggle and held her hands out toward Thor who was directly above her. Lighting rushed toward Thor.

Thor dodged the lightning and Landed next to Steve. The girl was smiling and standing there, just staring and them.

"Is this normal for adolescent humans Captain?" Thor asked.

Steve frowned. "No. Not really."

Thor began swinging his hammer and charged the girl. When he swung Mjolnir the girl did a handspring to the side and smiled at Thor. She made the universal 'bring it on' gesture. Thor scowled and charged her.

"Hold off the twins Tony, I'll find the bomb and let you know where it is."

"Cap-"

"Tony, just do it!"

"Okay, Jeez." Tony swooped down just as Steve entered the building.

Steve ran into the building. One of the two remaining boys ran after him. He ran deeper and deeper into the building, the boy behind him.

"You have something we want Captain," The boy said. Before Steve could answer the boy continued "The girl. Where is she."

This caused Steve to skid to a stop. He spun the face the boy who had stopped as well. He was smirking. "Yes Captain," The boy's voice was low. "We know she's in the city. And we want her back."

Steve was angry. These freaks knew about Liz. His brain didn't have time to process what they meant. He lunged at the boy his hand wrapped around his neck. "You're going to leave her alone."

The kids eyes were wide. Maybe he didn't expect Steve to actually tackle him, or maybe he had never expected Captain America to be so full of rage about anything, let alone a girl.

"Tell me where the bomb is or all keep squeezing until you're blue.

The boy spluttered. "Back…wall…. right corner…."

Steve released the boy. "GO!" He screamed. Th boy ran. And so did Steve. He went to the back wall of the building. It wasn't a very large building. He told Tony where he was heading and then he went to look for the bomb. It didn't take him long to find it. He checked the timer.

30 seconds.

Tony wouldn't have time to defuse it. Steve did the only thing he could think of. He heard Stark screaming at him, but he he blocked it out. He covered the bomb with his shield and leaned heavily on it. He closed his eyes and it blew sending the building crumbling down around him.

* * *

**Sorry for the cliff hanger, but like I said I should have the next one up later on today. I'm not sure how many people are actually reading this but I just want to thank those of you who are reviewing! Thank you to Kippernica, SummerElainee, JanaDowneyEvans, LunarWhispers, and SapphireBlueSea for reviewing my story. You guys all made my day :)  
**


	4. Chapter 4

**Here is is :) Sorry it took me until now to get this up. Enjoy!**

The first thing on Tony Stark's mind when he came to was _What the hell hit me._

He was lying face down on the ground and he heard the faint buzz that told him the suits back up systems were kicking in. He pushed himself up onto his knees and surveyed his surroundings. Support beams had and rubble had fallen in such a way that a small cleaning like area was created. It wasn't very big maybe the size of a large tent. It was just tall enough that Tony could be on his knees comfortable without hunching over. Damn his head hurt. In hindsight he probably should have listened when Cap told him to move. Wait…Cap…

"Cap!" Tony called frantically. The man had been in front of him, holding his stupid shield over the bomb, just a minute ago. He had to be here somewhere. Tony Stark may enjoy being in the spotlight, but he did not want to go down in history as the man who got Captain America killed. "Cap! Answer me!" He didn't know where the old young man could have gone. Maybe he wasn't trapped. Maybe he had been more fortunate then Tony. Maybe-

His train of thought was interrupted by a cough.

Tony groaned or maybe he's right behind me.

Tony turned. What he saw sent a very large array of colorful words through is mind, though he was too shocked for any of them to actually make it passed his lips.

Steve Rogers was here alright. The right side of his body was completely covered in rubbled except for his head which, by some stroke of luck, was completely free. Blood was coming from somewhere near his hairline and his face was covered in dust. He was pale scratched, bruised, and in obvious pain.

But he was alive.

Tony flipped his faceplate up. "Cap?"

Steve's eye blinked open. "Ouch," he mumbled, his eyes fixed on the celling.

Tony snorted. "Bit of an understatement."

"Just a bit," Steve coughed again and tried to pull himself free of the rubble. Something make a loud popping noise and Steve let out a strangled cry.

Tony winced a moved a little closer to him. "Yeah, lets not do that."

Steve let out a choked laugh. "You think?"

Tony rolled his eyes before activating his com. "Can anyone hear me?"

There was static over the line.

"Hello? Anyone out there? Does anyone copy?"

Static.

Tony sighed. "Guess it's just us Cap. Unless your-"

"Nope," Steve interrupted. "Nothing but static."

Tony sighed and sat down. "Well we better get comfortable. It might be a little while."

Steve closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Are you okay?"

Tony laughed. "You're buried under a pile of rocks and your asking me if I'm okay?"

"That wasn't an answer."

Tony moaned. "I'm fine Capsicle. How about you. Scale of one to ten?"

Steve opened his eyes. "When I first came to about a five," yikes. Steve rarely ever admitted to pain. Ever. After the Chitauri invasion, when the team had gotten back to the helicarrier from their Shawarma trip, Steve had nearly collapsed. His side was burnt to a crisp. Tony hadn't even realized he was hurt and Steve had claimed the pain was only about a two. Either Steve's pain tolerance was really high, or he was very good at hiding it.

"How about now?"

"About a two," He mumbled, his eyes closing again.

Tony frowned. Now he wasn't a doctor or anything, but he was pretty sure that if Steve's pain was diminishing, he was probably going into shock or something. Tony leaned over Steve.

"Steve open your eyes. Try to stay awake okay?"

Steve opened his eyes and Tony saw that his pupils did not react correctly. There was the distinct roar of the Hulk. That was strange. What could have possibly set him off, hadn't they gotten the kids? Tony tried his com again. "Can anyone hear me? Rogers is down-"

" 'M not," He mumbled, his head rolling to the side.

"He needs medical attention. Is anyone there?"

"Is….Stark….we're….ETA….minutes," The message was still static filled, but at least Clint was able to get through to Tony that they knew where he and Steve were. Also that they would be here.

"They're coming Steve."

Steve's eyes were closed again. Tony had honestly thought he fell asleep. He started to attempt to reach the team again when Steve spoke, groggily and only a tad incoherently. "Tony."

"Yeah Cap?"

"You need to get through to Liz."

Tony's eyes widened. Cap had finally lost it. "Oh. Okay Steve. I'll do that."

Steve smiled slightly. "You don't believe me. But she's at my apartment. She should know why I'm not back."

Tony frowned. "Liz?"

He nodded slightly. "Liz." Then he was out. Tony sat there, shocked, and listened to the rubble begin to move above him.

* * *

Tony stared into the medical room were Steve was currently sleeping. Well, sleeping wasn't exactly the terms Tony would use. Pain meds and such didn't work on him. He had most likely passed out from the pain. They had had to strap him down while the doctors re broke the bones on the right side of his body. Normally Steve's accelerated healing was a good thing, but there were those times when it worked against him. They had been trapped for nearly three hours and Steve's bones had begun to fuse together incorrectly. All in all Caps day had pretty much sucked. They estimated he'd be out of commission for about three weeks and off his feet for at least seven days.

Natasha walked up, swiftly and silently, behind Tony. "How is he?" She asked.

Tony didn't jump like a normal person would at the sudden appearance of the Black Widow. He had gotten used to Natasha's stealthy demeanor over the last few months of living with her. He had learned a lot about pretty much every member of the team. Like that Thor has an interesting obsession with pop tarts (Tony made sure the tower constantly had at least a dozen boxes at any given time), and that Clint liked to spend time in the air vents. He learned that Natasha had the most obnoxiously silent foot fall ever, and that Bruce was an insomniac like him, but for different reasons.

The only person he hadn't really learned anything about was Cap. Sure he knew his story. Who didn't. But he didn't know the man behind the mask. He didn't really know Steve Rogers.

"Okay I guess," Tony shrugged. "He woke up for a bit before. He asked me to call someone named Liz when we were buried under there. Said she was at his apartment and someone should tell her what happened."

Natasha smirked.

Tony gaped at her. "You knew?"

She shrugged. "Not specifically about Liz no. I knew he had met someone. I assumed it was a girl. Not that hard to figure out if you know him enough."

"And you do?"

"I make it a point to learn everything about the people I work with."

Tony laughed. "So what do you know about me?"

She rolled her eyes. "You're not as hard to figure out as you might like to believe Stark." She paused. "So Liz."

Tony shrugged. "Her name was in his phone. She texted him a few times today. Don't give me that look I didn't read them. Barton called, explained what happened, and went to pick her up."

"Who's idea was that?"

He laughed. "Hers. She screamed and yelled at him. I think it scared him a bit. Eventually Clint caved and agreed to bring her to Steve."

Natasha rolled her eyes. "Back to Steve."

"Yeah, okay. His right side was pretty much shot. Pretty much all the ribs were crack and his arm was shattered. Hie leg was broken as well. His neck and collar bone were pretty much okay, just a bunch of busing. He had a pretty bad concussion too. He had some pretty bad burns too. I'm assuming they were from the bomb."

Natasha winced. "Ouch."

"Steve!" I voice called. Tony and Natasha turned around and saw a girl running down the hallway. The first thing Tony thought was damn this girl is tiny. Here hair was flying behind her as she ran down the hall, worry clearly etched into her features. She practically skidded to a halt in front of Tony. She lost her balance and tripped into Tony, who caught her and steadied her. She looked up at him, her Green eyes were glistening and her eyes were puffy and red.

"Tony Stark?" She asked.

He nodded. "Liz?"

She nodded. "Where is he?"

Clint came running down the hallway as well. "Damn girl," He breathed. "You can run."

Liz turned to face Clint and Natasha. "Natasha?" She asked.

Natasha nodded. "That's me. You're the girl who's been staying at Steve's place."

Liz nodded. "Where is he?" She was whimpering now.

Tony wrapped his arms around her shoulder and turned her toward the door. When Liz saw Steve through the door she sucked in a breath. Her hands went to her mouth and tears began to fall from her eyes. "Steve…" She whispered.

Tony frowned. "Hey sweetheart, he's gonna be fine."

Liz nodded. "Can I, I mean, do think maybe I could…"

Tony nodded. "The doctors aren't limiting our visiting hours. I'll tell them to put you on the list of people allowed in the room."

"Thank you," Liz whispered.

Tony shoved her gently toward to door. "Go on. Get in there." Liz nodded and hesitated before wrapping her arms around Tony and squeezing gently. She let go relatively quickly and went into Steve's room. She took the seat next to his bed on his good side and gently took his hand. Tony could see her mouth moving as she whispered to the unconscious super soldier.

"I'll tell you, that girl is something else," Clint chuckled, taking one of the seats in the hallway.

Natasha frowned and sat down next to him. "What do you mean?"

"I got to the apartment and walked in. I guess she knew I wasn't Steve. She jumped out from behind the counter holding a knife. She demanded to know who I was and all that."

Tony laughed and Natasha smirked.

CLint stretched his arms up and cracked his knuckles. "I learned a little bit about her. Her Name is Elizabeth Jones, but she said if I ever use her last name I'll, and I quote 'permanently be singing soprano.' "

At this Natasha actually laughed. "Oh I think I'm going to like this girl."

Clint elbowed her playfully. "Anyway. She also told me that nobody really calls her Elizabeth. Most people just call her Liz. She's been staying with Steve for a week. She said that they met at a cafe and just started talking. She just got here, she used to live in California by the way, and she was looking for a job. Steve offered her a place to stay until she found somewhere else to stay. I guess they just sort of, you know, bonded. Guess we know where Steve has been now."

Tony rubbed to back of his neck and sighed. He sort of felt like a jerk now. Not that he would ever admit. "Yeah," he said. "Guess we do."

Liz was panicking. She had finally found someone who knew the truth about her, someone who wasn't going to run away or call her a freak or shun her. And now that person was hurt. She sat down and picked up Steve's hand. It was a bit warm. It was then that she noticed the flush of a fever in his cheeks. His hair soaked with sweat and stuck to his forehead.

Liz gripped his hand tighter. "You're gonna be fine. " She whispered. "You're gonna be fine. I cleaned up the apartment. Not that there was much to clean, you keep the place so god damn tidy. But i swept and dusted. Just my way of thanking you for everything." She reached up and gently brushed his hair off his face.

"I like you," She said quietly. "I mean we only met a week ago, but it feels right. You feel right. You see me for me and you don't care what I am. And I like you. A lot."

She laughed. "Maybe, after you get out of here, we could go out to dinner or something. Maybe a movie. I know you haven't been to one in this century yet. There not that bad." Liz bit her lip, knowing that if Steve had been awake she would not be saying any of this. It's not that it wasn't true. God knows she meant it with all her heart. But she had been broken too many times to trust someone. If Steve asked her she would probably say yes. But asking him, well, she was guarded..

Steve groaned, his eyes fluttering open. When he saw her he frowned. "Liz?" He asked, his voice hoarse. "How did-"

"Shhh," She whispered. "Don't worry about that right now."

Steve winced and squeezed his eyes shut. "The others?"

Liz rolled her eyes. "Natasha, Clint, and Tony are outside right now. I don't know where Thor and Bruce are, but i'm pretty sure there fine. You're the one they all seem worried about. And with good reason. You shouldn't through yourself on bombs. Even Captain America can be blown to pieces if he isn't careful."

Steve began to laugh but they broke off into a fit of coughing. He rolled over onto his left and relatively uninjured side. Liz brushed his hair out of his eyes again. "Just take it easy Steve. You're going to be fine."

Steve's coughing went on for about another minute before he was finally able to stop and roll onto his back again. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "I like you too."

This took Liz by surprise. "W-what?"

Steve smiled and slowly opened his eyes. He turned to look at her. His beautiful blue eyes met her green ones. He was obviously exhausted. "You heard me."

Liz bit her lip. "You weren't asleep." She didn't ask it like a question. She knew it was true.

Steve let out a breathy laugh. "Yeah. I was awake."

"You heard me."

"Every word," He smiled. "But for me, it's something more then that." Steve winced and rolled his neck a bit. "I don't have much experience with relationships Lis. But I know I haven't felt this way about anyone since….." He trailed off.

Liz smiled. "Since Peggy." Steve had told her about the stung and beautiful Peggy Carter. Liz knew that Steve had loved Peggy.

Steve nodded. "Yeah since Peggy. I may not know much about relationships, but I do know that I care about you. I care about you a lot Liz."

"I care about you too Steve," She leaned forward and kissed his forehead. She had wanted to kiss him many times before. She pulled away and looked at him, her face lingering close to his. Steve smiled and leaned up and kissed her. On the lips. She was surprised, and for a second she did nothing. But after she realized that Steve was kissing her, she leaned into it and closed her eyes. His lips were chapped, but Liz didn't care.

In the end he was the one who pulled away. He leaned back into his pillows and smiled, his eyes closed. "So what does this mean?"

Liz smiled. "It's means go to sleep. We can talk later."

Steve smiled, eyes still closed. "Okay."

Liz stood up and touch Steve's cheek gently. "Just get some rest Steve." But he was already asleep.

* * *

Liz silently closed the door to Steve's hospital room and turned around. She was faced with the remainder of the Avengers. Thor and Bruce had joined Clint, Natasha, and Tony outside of the room. Someone had brought food back for the team from some place called Shawarma. Clint was sitting with his legs crossed on one of the chairs and Natasha was sitting on the floor in front of him. Tony was taking up two chairs, he had turned one and propped his legs up on them. Thor was sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall. Bruce occupied the seat near the wall that Thor was leaning against.

Thor smiled at her. "Lady Elizabeth. It is wonderful to meet you."

Liz smiled. "It's just Liz. And its nice to meet you to Thor."

"So you're Steve's mystery girl," Natasha said with a smile.

"Which apparently he had," Clint muttered, He gestured around at the group. "Did anyone else know about Steve's mystery girl? Did anyone even know that Steve had a mystery girl?"

Bruce rolled his eyes. "Sorry about him LIz."

Tony slung an arm around Liz's shoulders. "So kiddo, you and our dear Captain."

Liz felt a blush come to her cheeks. "I-we…"

"Tony," A female voice called from behind them. Tony spun around, leaving the arm around Liz's shoulder and spinning her with him.

He smiled. "Hey Pep!" he took his arm away from Liz's shoulder. He walked over to the pretty blonde and kissed her briefly.

THe woman smiled and put her hands on Tony Starks face. "I heard what happened. Are you okay?"

Tony smirked. "Seriously? I'm fine Pepper."

"Steve?"

Tony winced. "He'll be okay. He's had worse." For some reason this made Liz wince. The fact that this was not the worst of the injures that Steve has received upset her.

"And who is this?" The woman, who Liz now knew was named Pepper, asked.

Tony turned, his arm around Peppers waist. "Oh, this is Liz. She's Steve's….. friend."

Liz smiled. "It's nice to meet you Pepper."

"You too Liz."

Natasha stood up. "We should probably get going."

Liz frowned.

Bruce must have seen the confusion on her face. He stood up and smiled at her. "We have to go talk to Fury." He turned his attention to Liz. "He's the director of S.H.E.I.L.D."

"Thanks Bruce."

"Okay, well, the car is out front to take you guys back to the tower when you're done," She turned to Liz. "Are you coming back to the tower?"

Liz bit her lip. "I think I should stay with Steve."

Tony snorted. "Cap is coming back to the tower when we're done. We can treat him there. I mean the only thing that can really be done is to keep him comfortable. Right Bruce?"

Bruce nodded. "Yes. Steve will heal on his own and should be back to one hundred percent in about two weeks, three weeks max. Knowing Stev though he'll be back in the gym in a few days."

Liz sighed. "Um, I don't think he's going to want to go back to the tower."

Thor frowned. "Why not?"

Liz hugged herself. Steve hadn't exactly told her that his nightmares were a secret, but she felt like she was betraying his trust by telling his teammates.

"Spit it our little bit," Tony said.

"He…well..promise you won't tell him I told you?"

Pepper covered Tony's mouth before he could say anything. "Sure Liz."

"He has nightmares. About the ice mostly, but sometimes they're about the war. He wakes up screaming sometimes. He just doesn't want you guys to find out." Liz sighed.

It was quite. Natasha was the one who broke it. "I think we all knew on some level that he was having nightmares." The Avengers nodded in agreement.

"But we're still taking him back to the tower," Tony said confidently. "And you're coming too."

Liz rolled her eyes. "Okay. I have to go back to his apartment though. I need clothes."

Tony nodded and held out his hand. "Give me your phone." Liz reached into her pocket and pulled out the phone that steve had given to her.

Stark smiled. "Stark Phone. I approved."

Liz smiled. "Steve had an extra one. He gave it to me."

Tony laughed. "Yep. I gave him an extra. I knew he would screw his up in one way or another. Guess he didn't." Tony quickly added itself to her contacts list. "Call me when you need a ride. I know where his apartment is and I'll come and get you."

Liz smiled. "Thank you."

Tony shrugged. "What are friends for."

* * *

**Please let me know what you think! I love reviews :)!  
**


	5. Chapter 5

Liz found it hard to believe that just a week ago she had been swimming in the ocean, lost and alone. She was literally lost at sea. Now she had Steve. She didn't know if she would call Steve her 'boyfriend', but she really really wanted to. Steve was sweet and kind and he actually accepted who she was. He made her smile. In the short time that she had known Steve, she had grown close to him. The days they spent talking to one another, learning each others favorite colors and middle names (his were blue and Grant and hers were Purple and Rose), and just enjoying each others company had been the best days she had had in a very long time.

And Steve had kissed her. He had kissed her and she had kissed him back. She couldn't wait until he was well enough to go on an actual date.

Liz had chosen to walk to Steve's apartment. Despite the crisp cold air, she enjoyed the city and had taken the long way. The city was all decorated and beautiful for Christmas. Liz wanted to get Steve something for Christmas, but she needed to find a job first. Her lack of formal college education might make getting a job difficult, but she would figure something out.

The doorman greeted her when she arrived at the building. Many people in the building had come to know her over the course of the the week. Pretty much everyone in the building knew Steve and liked him very much. None of them knew he was Captain America (he had done a marvelous job at keeping who he truly was a secret to rest of the world) but Steve Rogers was a wonderful guy. He was kind and caring.

"Good afternoon Elizabeth," The doorman, Sam, said with a smile.

She smiled and waved at him. "Good afternoon Sam." She let Sam call he Elizabeth because Sam refused to call her Liz. He was a middle-aged, well mannered, gentleman and insisted on calling her either Elizabeth or Miss Jones.

She walked over to the elevator and pressed the number for Steve's floor. He had given her a key to his apartment after she had been staying with him for four days and got locked out wall he was out running. He found her sitting against the door coating the tiles on the celling. He had laughed and given her the spare key. She had insisted that he take it back, but he insisted that he believed she should have it.

When she got to his door, however, she was confused. His door was cracked open a jar and there were mumbled voices from behind the door. Liz walked slowly over to the door and listened carefully.

"Are you sure she's staying here?" A somewhat squeaky female voice asked. Whoever this girl was she sounded annoyed and bored.

"Positive. I dug it out of his mind. It wasn't that hard, distracted him just enough to find it," A boys voice said.

"Are you sure-" A different boys voice began.

"Yes! Geez T, I told you, she'll be back." The first boy said.

"You better be right," the girl said. "Ace will have our heads if we don't bring the girl back."

Liz backed away from door. She pulled out her phone and slowly backed up to the elevator, keeping her eye on the door, and sent Tony a text that said _There are people in Steve's apartment. _

Less then a minute later she got a text back. _Be right there little bit. _

"Don't worry Audrey," The first male voice said. "She's right out side."

Liz didn't wait to see the people who had broken into Steve's place, she ran. She gave up on the idea of the elevator and ran down the stairs as fast as she could. By the time she got back to the lobby she was sweaty and out of breath.

"Hey Sam, uh, can I just chill here for a bit? Steve's out right now and I left my key in the apartment, He should be back soon though."

Sam smiled. "No problem sweetie. I was actually just going to go get lunch, would you like anything?"

Liz smiled, relieved that Sam would be out of the building, and shook her head. "No, thanks though." Sam nodded and left.

Liz sighed and tapped her fingers against the desk nervously. The elevator opened and three pole stepped out.

Two girls and a boy. Liz froze.

The girl was short and couldn't be older then seventeen. She smiled and tossed her black hair over her shoulder. "Hey little mermaid. It's time to come home."

Liz felt her eyes widen. "How-how…"

The big muscly guy smiled. "Oh come on. You've got to remember us?"

The third boy frowned. He was obviously the oldest of the three, though he was not the biggest. His face was mature though. "Guys she really doesn't remember."

The girl frowned now as well. "Hmm. Weird. Either way we're taking her."

"I don't recommend that," A new voice said. Liz spun around and let out a sigh of relief when she saw Tony and CLint standing by the entrance of the building. Both were wearing civilian clothing, but CLint had his bow out and Tony had one arm covered in armor. Clint had an arrow notched and pointed at the girl and Tony had his arm raised and pointed at them as well. The walked forward until they were standing in front of Liz.

Tony turned and smiled at her. "Hey little bit. When I say run, run to the car." He turned his attention back to the girl and boys.

"Now!" Tony exclaimed. Clint released the arrow at the same time Tony aimed his repulser at the wall above the teenagers. Clint's arrow exploded and created a cloud of fog

"RUN!" Liz heard Tony say, then a hand was on her back and she was being led outside. She saw the car parked near the curve and climbed in the back. CLint got in the passengers seat and Tony got behind the wheel and floored it.

Clint turned around to look at her. "You okay?"

She nodded and tried to speak, but she couldn't make her mouth form the words.

"Shit, Tony I think she's hyperventilating," Clint said. He leaned farther into the back seat. "Calm down Liz, Steve's already waiting for you at the tower and Tony and I aren't going to let anyone touch you. God knows Cap would strangle us if we did."

Liz took a deep, shuddering breath, closed her eyes, and nodded. "I-I'm good. I'm good."

She opened her eyes to see Clint smiling at her. "Good."

"Any idea who those people were little bit?" Tony asked, slowing down so he was going only ten miles over the speed limit.

Liz shook her head. "No, no clue. Can you slow down a little please?"

Clint laughed. "Asking Tony Stark to slow down will get you absolutely no where."

"Besides we're here," Tony said turning into the entrance to the Towers garage. He pressed a button on the dashboard and the entrance swing open. "Welcome to Stark tower little bit."

Tony parked and both he and Clint got out of the darn. Clint opened Liz's door for her and offered her his hand. "Come on Liz."

Tony walked over to the elevator and punched in a code. The door opened and the three stepped into the elevator. Tony pressed a button, crossed his arms, and leaned against the back wall of the elevator. They rode in silence until the door dinged open. The room was huge. One wall was made entirely of widows. It was a beautiful view of the city. Tony smirked and shoved her shoulder playfully. "Pretty cool huh? Clint can take you to Steve. I'm going to find Pepper. I can show you around the rest of the tower tomorrow." Tony squeezed Liz's shoulder and smiled before taking off down the hall.

Clint laughed ad shook his head. "Come on Lizzie, can I call you Lizzie,"

Liz nodded. "Yeah, as long as you-"

"Don't call you Elizabeth," Clint chuckled. "I got it."

Liz smiled. "Thanks."

Clint smiled. "Come on Lizzie, let's go find Cap."

Clint led her over the the elevator. "Each of up has our own floor. If you want to find one of us you just press the button with the appropriate persons name on it." He pointed to the button with 'Steve Rogers' written on it. "See that's Steve room. Easier then remembering whose number is whose."

"What if you don't want to be bothered?" Liz asked. She knew she didn't have a floor, but she knew Steve like his privacy and from what she knew about the other Avengers, she figured that they liked their privacy as well.

Clint shrugged. "There are ways to stop people from coming up. Tony can explain everything later. Now shut up. Steve's right down the hall."

* * *

Steve was sitting up in the bed, a book in his hands. Clint knocked on the open door and Steve looked up from whatever it was he was reading. He smiled when he saw Liz. He dog eared the page he was on and put the book down.

"Come in guys," He said.

Clint stepped into the room and Liz followed him, clasping her hands in front of her. Clint smiled and gently pat Steve's shoulder. "How're feeling man?"

Steve shrugged."I'm fine."

Clint rolled his eyes "Well I'm gonna go find Nat," Clint said. "Bruce said he's going to come check on you in about an hour. He said to ask you how bad your pain was?"

Steve shrugged his good shoulder and opened his mouth to speak before Cint stopped him. "And if you say a two or a three I will hit you. You had a building fall on you you're allowed to be in pain."

Steve chuckled "You know me so well Clint. About an eight. More bearable then before."

Clint nodded and left, leaving Steve and Liz alone.

He pat the space next to him on the bed. "Sit."

She smiled and did as he asked. She took his hand in hers. "So you're feeling better?"

He smiled. "Much better. I heal fast," He frowned. "Tony texted me. He said people broke into the apartment and that they were looking for you."

Liz nodded. "Yeah."

He squeezed her hand. "Then we aren't going back there. We can find somewhere else to stay."

Liz bit her lip. "About that. I sort of think your team wants you to stay here with them."

Steve frowned and rubbed the back of his neck. "Um..Liz..I-"

"You have nightmares."

He sighed. "How long have you know."

"Since the second night. You were… sort of screaming. I wasn't sure what to do."

Steve sighed and pulled her down gently so her head was resting on his good shoulder. She froze for a second, but eventually settled into his embrace and gently place her hand on his stomach. He leaned his cheek agains the top of her head. "If i tell you something really corny, will you promise not to laugh?"

"I promise."

Steve smiled. "I have been having nightmares ever since I woke up in this time period, but every since I met you they've been getting less and less severe."

Liz smiled and bit her lip. Steve chuckled. "You promised."

Liz giggled. "No, no. I'm not making fun of you I promise. I just think it's sweet is all."

Steve chuckled again and sighed. "Okay."

"Hmm?"

"Okay, I'll live here. On one condition."

Liz looked up at him. "And what is that?'"

"You live here with me."

Liz sighed. "Steve. I can't"

Steve frowned. "Why not?"

She sat up. "I have to leave Steve. People, for what ever reason, are looking for me. I've been here too long."

Steve sat up, wincing slightly and looked her in the eyes. "No."

She looked down at her hands. "Steve I have to."

"No," He said. "I get it if you're scared, I do. But i promise you that I won't let anything happen to you. You don't have to run anymore Elizabeth. You've been running for entirely too long."

Tears were running down her cheeks and she sniffled. "I don't want to run."

Steve wiped a tear away with his thumb. "Then don't."

She couldn't resist him. She leaned forward and locked her lips with his. He leaned into it and pulled her close. She locked her hands in his hair and he stroked her back slowly. She shivered slightly and he pulled away and smiled. "You didn't get a chance to clothes did you?"

She shook her head.

He nodded and swung his legs slowly over the side of the bed, grunting a little as he did.

Liz stood up. "Steve what are you doing? You should lie back down."

"I'm fine Liz."

"Steve you heal fast, not instantaneously. What are you doing?"

He stood up shakily sand Liz ran around the bed to steady him. "I'm going to get you something to wear for tonight."

"I can do it."

"I'm not invalid."

"I know you aren't," She lowered him back into the bed. "Now stop pouting." She pulled the black up to his hips and then walked over to the dresser. Steve watched at she dug through the drawers and found a t-shirt and sweatpants. She went into the bathroom and changed. She rolled the sweats up multiple time until they fit well enough. When she walked back into the room Bruce Banner was standing over Steve, pressing on his ribs gently. Steve winced slightly.

"It's okay to be in pain Steve," Bruce said gently.

Steve shook his head. "I'll be fine."

"Don't listen to him Bruce," Liz chuckled. "He seems like an awful patient."

Bruce smiled slightly. "Hello Liz. How are you?"

She pulled her hair up and secured it with a hair tie. "I'm fine. Little shaken up, but I'm fine."

Bruce nodded. "Tony wants to talk to both of you. Though I don't think he would mine if you wait until morning. It's been a very busy day for everyone."

Steve shook his head. "Let's just get this over with. JARVIS," He said. "Where's Tony?"

Lix jumped slightly when a british voice respond. "Sir is in his Lab at the moment Captain Rogers. Shall I inform him you wish to speak with him?"

"Yes, thank you."

"What was that?" Liz whispered.

"Liz, meet JARVIS, Tony's AI. He pretty much runs the tower."

"Hello miss Elizabeth."

"Hello JARVIS," Liz said unsteadily. Then she spoke to Steve. "Is it to much to ask him to call me Liz?"

Bruce laughed. "No. It's fine. I've got to say, you reacted better then Steve did when he heard JARVIS for the first time."

"Oh I wasn't that bad," Steve laughed.

"Whatever you say Steve," Bruce lifted Steve's arm up. It was almost vertical when Steve let out a gasp. "It's better then it was earlier. You should have full range of motion in a day or two."

Steve nodded. "Thanks Bruce."

Bruce frowned. "I'm sorry I can't do much else for the pain. Clint told me that it was somewhere around an eight."

Steve shrugged. "It's fine Bruce. It'll be better by tomorrow."

"Still-"

Steve held his hand up. "Not your fault Bruce."

Bruce laughed. "Well have JARVIS get me if you need something."

"Okay Dr. Banner," Steve laughed.

Bruce rolled his eyes and left.

Steve turned to Liz and smiled. Liz smiled back and went over to sit next the him. She pulled both legs up and folded them beneath her. She pointed to the book on Steve's bed side table.

"What are you reading?"

Steve smiled and picked up the book. "The Great Gatsby."

Liz took the book from him. "I read this in High School. I loved it."

Steve nodded. "I read it when I was younger too. Though that was a long time ago."

"Have you seen the new movie?"

"No, have you?"

Liz shook her head. "No. I've heard about it, but I haven't seen movie in a very long time."

Steve took the book from her and put it back on the side table. He took her hand. "We should watch it sometime. I'm sure Tony owns it, and if he doesn't I'm sure we can find it somewhere."

"Captain Rogers, I don't mean to interrupt, but Mr. Stark is on his way up to speak with you."

"Thank you JARVIS," Steve replied. He turned to Liz. "So before Tony gets here, you are staying right. You can even stay on this floor. For whatever reason Tony gave me a guest room, an office, a gym, an art studio, and a room with a television. I'm not used to having this much space to myself."

Liz laughed and plopped down next to him. She kissed his cheek and rested her head in the crook of his shoulder. "Yeah. I'll stay. But only because you are so darn adorable."

Steve chuckled and hugged her.

"Well, this is sweet," Tony Stark was leaning against the door with his arms crossed and a smile on his face. "Sorry was I interrupting something?"

"Hi Tony," Liz said without moving.

"Hey little bit," He walked over to the bed and sat on the edge of it. "So Cap, considering everything that happened I have made the executive decision that you are moving into the tower. You don't have a choice anymore. Sorry."

Steve chuckled. "Yeah okay. But only if Liz can too."

Tony nodded. "Yep I was actually gonna suggest it. I can have a floor ready for you."

Liz shook her head. "No need. I can stay on this floor with Steve. He said there was an extra room."

Tony raised an eyebrow at her, but shrugged. "Okay, whatever," he stood up. "I'm going to leave you two alone. I'll see you guys tomorrow. I can show you around the rest of the tower Liz."

"Aren't you going out with Pepper tomorrow?" Steve asked.

Tony shrugged. "Tomorrow night. I think I'm finally going to do it."

Steve smiled. "Yeah?"

"Do what?" Liz asked.

"Tony's going to propose to Pepper," Steve replied.

Liz smiled. "Really?"

"I said I _think _I'm going to. I also thought I was going to today, but Capsicle here decided to wear a building," Tony said as he headed for the door.

"I didn't-"

"Relax Cap," Tony laughed. "See you guys tomorrow." He closed the door behind him.

Liz chuckled and snuggled closer to Steve. "You just let him call you Capsicle?"

Steve shrugged. "It really doesn't bother me that much and I think he gets a kick out of it."

Liz sighed and sat up. "I should go find the guest room."

Steve frowned. "Liz we can make up the guest room tomorrow."

Part of Liz wanted to argue with Steve and tell him that they were only just figuring out their relationship. The other part wanted to snuggle closer to him and hold him tight.

The second part won. She was asleep ten minutes later.

* * *

**Sorry if it seems like their relationship is being rushed. I need it in order for my story to play out like I want it to. Let me know what you think :). Don't forget to review!  
**


	6. Chapter 6

**I realize I havent been putting in disclaimers so here it is.  
**

**Disclaimer- I only own my OC's and the plot. Everything else belongs to marvel!**

**I hope you enjoy this chapter. It's a long one :).**

* * *

When Liz woke up she was still snuggled up against Steve. Her head was resting on his shoulder and he had one arm wrapped tightly around her. Liz sighed and turned to look at the clock. It was only about five in the morning. Usually Steve would be awake and ready to go for a run. Right before they fell asleep last night Liz had told him that if he tried to get up she would personally tie him down. He laughed and told her he would make the best of it and sleep in. Maybe even until eight o'clock.

Liz slowly and carefully removed herself from under Steve's arm. He moaned slightly, but didn't wake up. He must have still been in pain because Steve was typically a relatively light sleeper. Liz quietly left the room and walked away from the door and over to the elevator.

"Um… JARVIS?" Liz asked tentatively.

"Yes Miss Liz," The british voice responded.

Liz smiled. "Um, what floor is main one?"

"Get in the elevator Miss and I will take you to the correct floor."

"Thank you JARVIS," Liz entered the elevator and leaned against the wall. She figured she would make some coffee and bring Steve up a cup. The elevator dinged open and Liz was greeted with the same stunning view the she saw yesterday. The sun was just starting to come up and the sky was a mix of pinks and oranges. Liz sighed and started walking.

"Now if I were the kitchen, where would I be," She whispered to herself.

"To your left," Liz jumped, put her hand on her chest, and turned to find Tony Stark smirking and leaning against the kitchen (oh okay so it's right here) counter.

"Tony," She breathed. "You scared me."

"My tower little bit. I can be wherever I want," He walk over to her. "What are you doing up so early?"

Liz shrugged. "I never really get much sleep. I thought that I would get Steve some coffee before he wakes up."

"How about I show you around and JARVIS can make the coffee."

"JARVIS can do that?"

"Of course he can!" Tony laughed.

"Awesome," Liz chuckled.

Tony frowned. "I know you're hiding something from us."

Liz winced. "How-"

Tony shrugged. "Not that hard to figure out. People wanted to find you for some reason. Those same people threatened to blow a building sky high and-"

"Wait they were the same people that warranted calling all of the Avengers out?" Liz asked taking a step closer to Tony.

Tony shrugged. "Yeah and-"

"They're the reason Steve got hurt?"

"Yeah I guess, but-"

"And it was because of me," Liz spun around and walked away form Tony. "He got hurt because of me."

"Aw, damn, Liz that's not what I was getting at. I was just trying to say that I know you're hiding something. But Steve trusts you and, hell, I trust Steve. Come on, let me show you around the rest of the tower," Tony put a hand on her shoulder.

Liz spun around and nodded.

Tony led her around the main floor of the tower. The kitchen and living room area were in the same section of the floor. Tony told her that she was welcome to anything in the kitchen and not to be shy about it. He said that JARVIS would be able to help her find anything that she could not find. After the main area, Tony told her where the three different bathrooms on the floor. The only other things on this floor were a large theater (literally Tony had his own movie theater!) and a room with computers that every member on the team had access too.

"You have access to anything on this floor," He said as they walked back to the elevator. "But to be truthfully honest, I'm not giving you unrestricted access to the tower. Very few people have access everywhere," Tony frowned in thought. "Come to think of it, the only people allowed everywhere are the members of the team and Pepper."

"Okay," Liz said as they got in the elevator.

"It's not that I don't like you little bit. I do. I think your a cool kid and Steve definitely seems to like you. I just can't trust you completely yet. Just met you and all." Tony pressed a button and the elevator started moving. "Right now we're going to the floor with the library and the pool. I'm not going to give you access to this floor just yet because it's the same level as my lab. You can come down here with someone who has access." The doors opened and Tony led Liz down the hall to a large wooden door.

Tony smiled. "I figured I would show you the library though. Steve really likes it down here." He opened the door to the largest collection of books that Liz had ever seen. She had always been a reader, and it had been something she had really missed while she was on the run. She was never in one place long enough to get her hands on more then one or two books, and sometime she wasn't even that lucky.

"Wow," She whispered. "Tony this is… wow."

"Though you'd like it. The pool is down the hall. Theres another one on the roof, but it's closed now for obvious reasons."

Liz laughed as she ran her hand along a row of books. "That's okay, I'm not really much of a swimmer. I'd much rather read."

Tony shrugged. "Just letting you know it's there. Come on lets go back upstairs. JARVIS probably already has the coffee made."

"Hey Tony?" Liz asked as they walked back to the elevator.

"Hmm?"

"Do I need someone to get in and out of the tower?"

"Out no, it's not like I'm holding you prisoner Liz. But to get in yes you do. Why?"

Liz shrugged. "I thought I would go out later and get a job. If I'm going to be staying her for an extended period of time I want to start making some of my own money."

Tony thought for a moment. "You can leave whenever. Pepper and I are going out later tonight. I'll meet you in the front of the building around five o'clock and I'll let you back in. Sound good?"

Liz smiled. "Awesome. Thank you so much. For everything. And congratulations on your engagement."

Tony laughed. "She hasn't said yes yet little bit."

Liz shrugged. "But she will Tony. I know she will."

Tony smirked. "I hope so."

"So what else have you got in this tower?"

Tony shrugged. "A floor that's designated to working out and training areas. The bottom most floors are for Stark Industry employees. Those of us who live in the tower rarely go down there. There's a floor designated for events that I host, you know dinners and such. Again no one really goes there unless theres something going on." Tony continued to talk about his tower the entire elevator ride back to the main floor. Liz was convinced he was keeping the topic off the impending proposal.

* * *

"Hey, where did you go?" Steve asked when Liz got back to his room. She frowned when she saw that it was only seven o'clock. The coffee was made in the pot when she had gotten back to the kitchen with Tony. He helped her make a mug to bring up to Steve and one for herself. He had made himself one and then went back down to his lab.

Liz walked over to the bed and handed one of the cups to Steve who took it gratefully. "I was just getting to know Tony and the tower a little bit better. Hows the pain this morning?" She took a sip of her coffee.

Steve smiled. "Better. Only about a three. I'll be fine by tomorrow."

Liz frowned at him and shook her head disapprovingly. "Every doctor said that you should stay off your feet for at least a week if not two."

Steve smiled. "Which mean I'll be one hundred percent by Christmas. Then we can go on a proper date."

Liz rolled her eyes. "Nothing about our relationship is normal Steve." She leaned down and kissed him softly on the lips. "But that sounds nice."

Steve's eyebrow scrunched together in thought. "How does snow effect the whole….tail thing?"

Liz laughed. "It doesn't. Or at least not anymore. I can go outside in the snow and pretty much not think about the whole mermaid thing." She frowned at him. "Does it freak you out? We never really got the chance to talk about it."

Steve laughed. "Liz, I was a skinny, sickly kid from brooklyn. I fought in World War II and I was frozen for decades. I'm friends with a guy who flies and controls lightning, a guy who turns green when he's angry, and a man who flies around in a metal suit. Nothing surprises me or freaks me out anymore. The fact that you _sometimes _have a tail doesn't bother me in the slightest."

Liz bit her lip and smiled. Steve placed his coffee mug on the side table and leaned in to kiss her. When he pulled away he smiled and said "So, what's out plan for today?"

Liz sighed. "Actually I have some things I have to do in the city today."

Steve frowned. "I can go with you."

She shook her head. "Nope. You're going to stay right here and rest."

Steve moaned. "I'm fine Liz."

She raised an eyebrow. "Hows you're pain? And don't lie to me."

Steve rolled his eyes. "Four. Tops."

"They told you to take it easy for a week and no field work for three."

Steve sighed. "Liz. I'm fine. They always underestimate my healing capabilities. It's annoying."

Liz laughed. "Steve. Please?"

"After what happened today, I don't think walking around the city alone is a good Idea."

"They knew where to find me Steve."

"I know, but-"

"I just want to explore my new home Steve."

Steve frowned, but took her hand. "You're new home?"

Liz laughed. "Yeah. I think I might hang around here for a while."

* * *

It did take Liz very long to get ready. She threw on the jeans she had been wearing the previous day and took another one of Steve t-shirts. She grabbed her jacket and phone and headed the the main floor. She was still amazed at the size of the tower. JARVIS had to help guide her to the correct floor. She was almost tempted to hit the wrong button on purpose, just to see what would happen. But she didn't want to betray the trust that Tony had given her thus far. She was going to earn his trust. There was something about Tony that made her want him to trust her, though she didn't know what.

She was surprised to see that the kitchen was not vacant when she got there. Pepper and Natasha were sitting at the table talking quietly and drinking coffee. They looked up when she walked in and Pepper smiled at her. "Hello Liz. Tony told me you wanted to go into town today. I figured I would give you some company."

Liz frowned. "Aren't you and Tony going out tonight?"

Pepper shrugged. "We're leaving at five. It's only eight thirty. I'll be back by two thirty. Plenty of time to get ready."

Liz shook her head. "You don't have to do that."

"I know," Pepper smiled. "I want to."

Natasha smirked. "She's excited. To be honest so am I. The men in this tower think they can run the place simply because there are more of them."

Liz smiled. "So are you coming as well Natasha?"

The black widow shook her head. "I have some things I have to take care of today." She didn't offer any specifics and Liz didn't ask for any. Natasha stood up. "I'll see you later," She put her hand on Peppers shoulder briefly. "Have fun tonight." She deposited her dish in the sink and left the kitchen.

Pepper stood up. "Well," She said walking over to the sink. "We better get going."

* * *

As it turned out, Liz's plan to get a job was put on hold. Pepper had taken her to the garage and had gotten in a small silver car. When Liz had questioned why they weren't just going to walk Pepper said that she was taking LIz shopping. When Liz had protested Pepper had insisted that she couldn't wear Steve's clothes all the time.

"I don't have any money," Liz whispered, ashamed of herself.

Pepper dismissed her with a wave of her hand. "Think of it as a loan."

Liz was fairly certain that this 'loan' was one Pepper would never allow her to pay back. Pepper had driven her all over the city, and for two hours Liz was forced to pick out various different articles of clothing. Around eleven Liz found herself sitting across from Pepper in a small cafe. They had decided to stop for a quick lunch before heading back to the tower.

"So where are you and Tony going tonight?" Liz asked, stabbing her salad and taking a bite.

Pepper shrugged. "Some fancy rester aunt. Not exactly sure. Tony has been very secretive about the whole thing. He really likes to go all out with everything."

Liz laughed. "I could have guessed that. I mean the tower is incredible."

Pepper nodded. "Yeah. We rebuilt it after the Chitauri invasion. The rest of the Avengers moved in relatively soon after that, though Steve hasn't technically moved in yet. Which is a shame by the way. Steve is a really nice guy."

Liz nodded. "I know. He gave me a place to say. I don't know what I would have done if he hadn't been so generous."

Pepper nodded. "So what do you think of New York?"

"It's nice. Everything is really beautiful."

"Yeah it's beautiful during the holidays. I haven't had a chance to decorate the tower yet, but I still have two weeks."

"I could help if you want," Liz stirred her hot chocolate. "It's been a really long time since I've been able to decorate a Christmas tree."

Pepper frowned. "Really?"

Liz shrugged. "I've been traveling the past few years. Never really in one place long enough to celebrate the holidays."

"What about your family? Didn't you go back to spend time with them?"

Liz shook her head. "My relationship with my parents is…..complicated," She smiled. "But i would love to help you decorate for Christmas. I mean if Tony doesn't mind."

Pepper laughed. "I think Tony secretly loves it, though he won't admit it if you ask him. He's like a two year old in a grown mans body. Plus its the first Christmas that the team is spending together in the tower. Last year they got called out on a mission."

"What happens if they called out again this year?"

Pepper shook her head. "Nope. I chewed Fury out about. Unless the world is exploding they are staying at the tower. We're going to have an amazing Christmas. Thor invited Jane and Darcy over for Christmas Eve and Steve is going to help me make breakfast in the morning."

Liz smiled "So you guys are like on big super hero family?"

Pepper nodded. "Yeah I guess we are. All thats left is for Steve to finally agree to move into the tower with us."

"I think he just might."

Pepper laughed. "What did you do?"

Liz shrugged. "I didn't do anything."

Pepper laughed again. She smiled at Liz. "I'm glad he found you."

"Hm?"

Pepper shrugged. "He's been so, I don't know, I suppose heartbroken is the right word. He went to visit Peggy Carter, the girl he loved back in the 40's, about a week after the Chitauri battle. She remembered him and the talked. That's all he's said about that, but ever since he's been so sad. The others don't see it. Well I assume Natasha does. She notices everything. Things have gotten better over the past two years, but he was really happy when he came over the other day. I'm glad he has someone."

Liz shook her head. "We haven't really worked out all the kinks as to what we are exactly. I mean I think we're couple, but we never really verbalized it."

Pepper rolled her eyes. "Yeah well I can tell he likes you and I think you can tell too."

Liz smiled and nodded. "I hope so, because I really do like him."

Liz and Pepper sat for another hour, exchanging various stories. Pepper told her about Steve and how, despite being the youngest, was always the one who acted like the big brother. He always had the tams best interest at heart and he really was a great leader. She told her how the team had bonded over the past two and a half years. They were walking back to the car when a window caught Liz's eye.

"Um, Pepper, can I meet you back at the car?"

"Um, yeah sure. Why?"

Liz shook her head. "Just saw something I want to check out. It'll only take me a few minutes."

Pepper frowned. "Okay. Remember where I parked?"

Liz nodded. Pepper smiled and started to walk down the street. Liz turned and walked into the store that had grabbed her attention. The small bookstore was not quite as it appeared on the outside. There were books piled on shelves lining the walls. The room she was standing in was relatively small, but there was an archway that led into a much larger room with shelves form in isles.

"You just gonna stand there?" Liz jumped and turned to the counter. A young teenager was sitting behind it, chewing gum and reading an old book. Her black hair was braided to the side and tinted purple at the ends. She wore glass and a red knit hat. Her nose was pierced and she was pale with hazel eyes.

"Um no I'm sorry, I just-"

"Riley don't be rude," Liz was interrupted by a kind looking old man who emerged from the large room. "Hello and welcome to Riley's Books."

"Hello, my name is Elizabeth, I just, I'm sorry I just can't help myself when it comes to book stores."

The man nodded. "I understand. I'm sorry if my granddaughter was rude. Riley apologize."

"Yeah I'm sorry," The girl could not sound any less sorry if she had tried. She returned her attention back to her book.

The man gestured to the room behind him. "Would like a little tour of my shop?"

Liz knew Pepper was waiting for her in the car, but she could almost her the books calling to her. She nodded slowly and followed the man into the back. "This store was my late wires idea," The man said as he led her um and down the many isles. "Her name was Riley. My granddaughter was named after her. We opened this store a year before she passed. It has been pretty successful."

Liz smiled. "That's wonderful. I love bookstores. It's a shame there aren't too many around anymore."

The man laughed and held out his hand. "I'm Samuel."

Liz smiled and shook his hand. "Elizabeth," She looked around. "This really is a very large collection."

Samuel nodded. "Theres something for everyone. Take a look around."

Liz sighed and shook her head. "I'd love to, but my friends waiting. I have a lot to do. I need to find a job I have to"

Samuel held up his hand. "A job?"

Liz nodded.

Samuel smiled. "Look no further my dear. I have been looking for someone to help out during the day. Riley's attends school and running this place on my own is exhausting. I can pay you $11.25 an hour."

"Are you serious?"

He nodded. "Monday through Thursday nine to four and Saturday nine to three."

Liz blinked and nodded. "That's.. I just..thank you."

Samuel smiled. "Don't mention it sweetie. Riley!" He called through the arch way. "You've got a new co-worker."

"Awesome," Riley called unenthusiastically back.

"You start Monday," He smiled again and walked her to the door.

"Thank you so much Samuel."

"Call me Sam, Elizabeth."

She nodded. "Call me Liz. Thank you so much Sam."

"See you on Monday."

Liz smiled widely as she approached the car and got in the passengers side. Pepper laughed at her. "What are you so smiley about?"

Liz shrugged. "Nothing much. I just got a job."

* * *

Pepper dropped Liz off on Steve's floor. She headed to the second bedroom on the floor and deposited her bags of clothes on the bed. Pepper had basically gotten her and entire wardrobe. Liz knew she had no hope of ever paying her back, but now she could start saving up some money and at least try. (Not that she believed Pepper would ever let her pay, but she still had to try).

She changed quickly into a new pair of black jeans and a black and red plaid button down shirt with a black camisole underneath. Despite how comfortable Steve's hurts were it felt nice to have clothes of her own. She left the remainder of her things on the bed to put away later. She walked down the hall to Steve's room, only to find that the lights were off and the bed was made.

She frowned. "JARVIS?" She asked, looking up at the celling.

"Yes miss Liz."

"Where's Steve?"

"Captain Rogers is in the kitchen miss. Shall I tell him that you are looking for him?"

"No, that's alright, I'll go down there myself. Thank you JARVIS."

She headed to the elevator and rode it down. Steve was in the kitchen. He was sitting at the table, a sandwich and a glass of water in front of him. He had gotten dressed in jeans and a pale blue button down shirt. He glanced up when she began walking toward him and smiled.

Liz smiled back. "Aren't you supposed to be upstairs resting?"

Steve shrugged. "I was hungry. Besides I really am feeling better. Just a bit stiff and sore."

Liz frowned, then poked his injured side gently, but with just enough pressure to make him wince. She raised an eyebrow at him.

Steve shrugged. "Still. I'm okay enough to be walking around. I promise." He leaned over and pulled the chair next to him out a little bit. "Care to join me?"

Liz chuckled, but sat on the chair with her legs crossed beneath her.

"So how was your lunch with Pepper?"

Liz shrugged. "It was nice. It felt good to just hang out and be normal you know?"

Steve nodded. "I know."

"So where is everyone?" Liz asked, grabbing his glass of water and taking a sip.

"Natasha and Clint are downstairs training. Bruce is in his lab and Tony is in his. I have no idea where Thor is, though he may have gone back to Asgard." Liz nodded and took another sip of water.

Steve chuckled. "That's mine you know."

Liz shrugged before putting the glass back down again. "If we're going to do the whole couple thing, I think I can take a sip of your water," She paused. "Are we, doing the whole couple thing?"

Steve smiled. "Elizabeth, I would like to take you to see the tree in Rockefeller Center. Maybe we could go ice skating, get some hot chocolate and-"

"So is that a yes?" Liz whispered.

Steve nodded and took his water glass back and leaned in to place a soft and quick kiss to her lips. "That is definitely a yes"

* * *

It was dark out when they left the tower. They were both bundled up tightly. Liz was wearing the new black jacket that Pepper insisted she would need, a white scarf, a white hat, and a long-sleeved shirt on underneath. Her gloves were in the pocket of her jacket. She had done her makeup and curled her hair, which were not things she was used to doing. But she wanted tonight to go perfectly. Steve had on jeans, a long leaved shirt and a leather jacket. He had on a scarf as well and Liz could see gloves sticking out of the pocket of his coat.

When they got to the garage Steve gestured to the far corner where his motorcycle was parked. "We can take the subway, or my bike, it's up to you."

Liz smiled. "Are you kidding? You're bike, no question."

Steve Laughed and took her hand, leading her over to the bike. He handed her a helmet and got on.

Liz frowned. "No helmet?"

Steve shrugged. "I only have the one. It's fine I rarely wear it anyway."

She wanted to protest. If they, for whatever reason, crashed, Steve could be seriously hurt.

"It's fine Liz," He said as if he were reading her thoughts. "I honestly only have it for show. Pepper gets worried pretty easily. She like an over protective big sister."

Liz sighed and put the helmet on. She got on the bike behind him, put her gloves on, and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Why is the bike here if you only just moved into the tower."

"Clint went and got it for me."

"You have awesome friends," Liz whispered. "Are you even supposed to be riding this thing? You're still hurt."

Steve laughed and started up the bike. "I'm not 'hurt'. I'm sore and a bit stiff, sure. But it doesn't exactly hurt anymore."

"You didn't answer my question."

He laughed again and began to drive.

As soon as the bike started moving, Liz tightened her hold around Steve's waist. She had never been on a motorcycle before. She had always wanted to, but when she was younger her dad said that they were "death traps". When she was traveling she spent a majority of her time moving around. No real opportunity to ride one. This was something she could check off her bucket list.

Steve maneuvered the streets of New York expertly. She watched the building fly by like a wall of light. Before she knew it Steve was pulling into a parking garage and turning off the bike.

"You okay?" He asked.

She nodded, took her helmet off, and handed it to him.

He held out his hand. "Come on. The tree isn't too far from here." The walked out of the garage. The streets weren't as crowded as Liz had expected. Of course there were people out, but Liz didn't feel as if she was being corded or shoved.

Despite the cold, her hand that was holding Steve's was warm. He hadn't put his gloved on yet. She frowned at him.

He smiled. "What?"

"You're not cold?"

He shrugged one shoulder. "A little."

"Then why not put on the gloves."

He shrugged again. "Don't need them yet."

Liz laughed. "What ever you say Steve."

He laughed. "Shut up and look over there." He lifted their linked hands and point in the direction of the most beautiful Christmas tree she had ever seen. She could also see the ice rink as well.

"It's beautiful," She muttered. "But I don't know how to skate."

He laughed. "It's okay. I promise I won't let you fall."

* * *

Steve was a surprisingly good ice skater. He had held her hands the entire time, and she and gotten the hand of it eventually. At one point Steve handed someone is phone and requested he take a picture. Before she knew it, their allotted time was up and they had to return their skates. They had left the skating rink, bought some hot chocolate, and found a little bench that had a nice view of the tree. There were only a few people near them, but none paid them very much attention.

"How did you like skating?" Steve asked.

"It was incredible. Thank you so much Steve. I'm having a wonderful time," She touched her nose to her cup, savoring the warmth.

Steve smiled, but before he could respond both of their phones buzzed. Liz pulled hers out of her pocket and saw it was a text from pepper.

_Tony proposed! I'm engaged! _There was a pictured attached of a gorgeous ring with a very large diamond.

Steve chuckled and turned his phone toward her. He had a gotten a text message from Tony that read : _Dude, she said yes!_

Liz smiled and turned her phone toward him. They looked at each other and started laughing.

"I'm happy for them," Liz said, once they had gotten there laughter under control.

"Me too," Steve whispered. Then he leaned in a kissed her. Her hot chocolate fell to the ground as she reached up to wrap her arms around his neck. He leaned over and placed his down and wrapped his arms around her waist. She smiled and they broke apart, there foreheads still touching. She felt something wet hit her forehead. Then another and another.

Steve looked up. "It's snowing," He looked back down at her, his head tilted slightly. "Is this going to be… I mean I don't want you to be…. we can-"

He put her finger on his lip. "Steve. I don't feel like I'm changing. I don't even feel like it's going to be an issue."

He smiled and kissed her again briefly. When the pulled apart, they stood up and began their walk back to the bike. This time Steve had his arm wrapped around her shoulders and she was leaning into his side. It was snowing. She was with and amazing man. And for once in her life she felt completely at peace.

* * *

He stood on the edge of the roof and watched the young couple walking, arms wrapped around each other.

"Sir," The girl behind him said.

He held his hand up. "Not now." He focused in on the girl. She was a freak, an experiment. She was _his _experiment. "Enjoy your freedom little mermaid," He whispered. "It won't last very long."

* * *

**Well? What do you think? Let me know. I love the reviews that I've been getting. I love you my wonderful readers! Happy Valentines day! -SilentlyWandering**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey everyone! Sorry for not updating sooner. I have a few other chapters planned out, but I am having issues figure out how to get there. I will though! I promise. Thank you all for having interest in this story! Here's the next chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I only own my original characters. **

* * *

Before Liz knew it, it was the night before Christmas Eve. Over the past few weeks Liz had gotten comfortable in the tower. She had bonded with Natasha and Pepper quite a lot. They were like the amazing big sisters she always wanted. Pepper took her into the city constantly. Most of the time the three of them would walk around and pick out things for the wedding.

Tony was determined to have his wedding be the "Most amazing affair of the year!". By year he of course meant the current year. The couple had decided that they wanted a New Year's Eve wedding. Liz had told Tony he was insane, that there was not way to plan a wedding in three weeks. His response was "I'm Tony Stark. I can make it happen." Tony had become like the over protective big brother that was always looking out for her. She though he was funny and smart and, despite his witty sarcastic exterior, he really did look out for her.

Clint and Liz had become friends fairly quickly. He was teaching her some self defense moves and how shoot. He was a very good and surprisingly patient teacher. Their first time Clint had tried to teach her how shoot resulted in a trip to Bruce. In hindsight giving a girl who had never held a bow before the loaded bow of arguably the best marksman in the world wasn't such a good idea. Clint was still laughing at the fact that she had somehow managed to release the arrow backwards and hit herself in the face. Luckily the cut didn't need stitches.

She hadn't really gotten to spend all that much time with Bruce. He seemed nice enough, but the guy kept to himself more then the others did. She knew he was the Hulk and that he had to keep his temper in check twenty four seven. He was a nice enough man and he had been nothing but kind to Liz, she just hadn't really had an opportunity to get to know him well enough.

The same could be said for Thor. She had spoken to him a few times. He told her that she reminded him of Darcy, a friend of his. He had left the Tower for Asgard about three days after Liz had arrived. He told them that he would be back the morning of Christmas Eve, which was good considering Tony and Pepper wanted to have a party Christmas Eve. A party Steve had already asked her too.

Over the last two weeks she had spent as much time as she possibly could with Steve Rogers. They had gone out multiple times, almost every other day. She had told Steve that she got a job. He was happy for her and was often the one who let her back into the tower when she came home from work.

Today was the last day that Liz was going to work before the New Year. Sam had given her off until January fifth. He had been a very understanding an reasonable boss. She had left about an hour early to get gifts for everyone. Shopping for her new friends had been difficult, especially considering she was on a budget. She had done it though.

"Sup buttercup," Riley greeted her when she walked through the door.

Liz rolled her eyes. "Hey Riley." She stripped her coat an hung it on the hook behind the counter. "Your grandfather around?"

Riley shrugged. "I think he said something about some last minute Holiday shipping. Gramps always leaves things until the last minute."

"A trait I assume he passed on to you?" Liz chuckled. "Did he leave anything for me to do?"

"Some guy brought in like ten huge boxes of books. He wants them sorted and put on the shelves."

"Did he tell you to do it?"

Riley shrugged. "Didn't say who had to do them. Just that he wanted someone to do them."

"Fine. I'll do, just watch the front okay."

"Yeah, yeah," Riley pulled out her phone and went to send a text message. Over the last two weeks Liz and Riley had become good friends. Despite being perpetually lazy, the girl had a good heart and an even better mind. She was smart and, under her rough exterior she was actually very nice. Riley got to the store around two on a regular basis, but NYU was on winter recess so they had been working together.

Liz headed to the back where the boxes were waiting for her. She groaned when she saw the size of them. Riley hadn't been exaggerating. The boxes were huge. It was going to take her all day to get them sorted and shelved. She dove right in. She was halfway through the second box when she got a text from Steve.

_Hey. Busy?_

She laughed. Steve always sent her texts throughout the day. She always answered them when she could. Usually the store would be busy or dead, never really in between. But sometimes Sam came up with tasks for her, like sorting through these boxes.

_Kind of yeah. Lots of books to sort. Talk to you later?_

She put her phone in her pocket and went on sorting her books. About thirty minutes later Riley came half running half stumbling into the back room.

"Yo, so there this guy out here and I know that you're not going to believe me, but he's Captain America. I swear," Riley whispered.

Liz's eyes went wide. "Captain America?"

Riley nodded "I mean he's not in uniform but its him. I promise."

"How do you know?"

"So my brother's friends with this girl right, well their dating now, but still. Anyway, my brother and I were at the diner where this girl worked on the day New York was attacked by aliens. Super long story short, Captain America saved us, but his mask got torn off. I saw his face. He out there right now!" She was whispered and talking very fast. It took all of Liz's will power not to laugh. "And he's a total hunk. Like super hot."

Liz bit her lip. This was going to be funny. "Well lets go say hello shall we?" Liz headed toward the front. Riley followed her protesting about how you can't just strike up a conversation with Captain America.

Steve turned when they entered the front. He had been looking at some book that was on the shelf by the door. He smiled when he saw her. She walked over to him, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him.

"Well hello to you too," He chuckled, wrapping his arms around her waist. He kissed her again. Then leaned in to fake whisper "I think you broke your friend."

Liz spun around, putting one arm around Steve's waist. Sure enough Riley was standing there, mouth open and eyes wide. Steve Chuckled again and moved his hand to around her shoulder.

"Riley, this is Steve Rogers, Steve this is Riley Hanson. Her grandfather owns this store," Liz said gesturing back and forth between the two as she introduced them.

Steve held his hand out to Riley. "It's nice to meet you."

Riley blinked and stepped forward. "Hello Mr. Rogers…. I mean Captain America sir er … I mean um hi" She took Steve's hand and shook it briefly.

Steve frowned. "How did she-"

"Long story," Liz cut him off.

"Is it a secret? I'm sorry. I won't tell anyone. I mean I haven't told anyone in like almost two years, you know since the battle. I mean I only know because you saved my life. And my brother and his girlfriends. Well I mean she wasn't his girlfriend at the time, but they are now. And i really appreciate it. The only reason I even told Liz was because I didn't believe it. I mean what are the odds that the guy who took up the Captain America persona walked into my grandpas book store. I can't believe it. How do you to know each other?" Riley was babbling. She was still wide eyed and shocked. At least she didn't know that Steve was the original Captain America. Very few people knew that. Steve Rogers was Captain America, and even fewer knew that he was the _original _Captain America.

Steve chuckled and squeezed Liz's shoulder.

Liz smiled. "Steve is my boyfriend Riley."

"You're dating Captain America!"

Liz shrugged. "Guilty," She turned to Steve. "What are you doing here? I told you I had a lot to do today."

Steve kissed her forehead. "Thought I would come and sit with you. You know keep you company," She looked at Riley. "I mean if that's okay?"

Riley nodded. "Yeah totally. Fine. Sure." Riley went back to the counter and sat down, pulling out her phone.

Liz took Steve's hand and pulled him into the back room where the boxes of books were. Steve sat down on the ground in front of one of the shelves and began looking at the books. Liz was digging through the boxes again, pulling books out and shelving them properly.

"You're friend seems nice," Steve said as he thumbed through a book with pictures of tropical fish.

"Riley? Yeah she's a good kid."

Steve laughed. "A kid?"

"She's younger then I am. She's nineteen. A freshman and New York University. Ergo she's a kid."

"She isn't that much younger then you. Or me really."

"Shut up Steve," Liz chuckled.

* * *

"Would you stop fidgeting," Pepper said as she added another pin to Liz's hair.

"Does it always take this long?" Liz asked.

Natasha rolled her eyes. "With Pepper? Yeah it does." Natasha was dressed in a long black dress, with one strap, that was slit up the side. He hair held it usual curl.

Pepper stuck her tongue out at Natasha before returning her attention to Liz's hair. "I'm almost done Liz. Two more minutes." Pepper was dressed in a strapless red dress that fell to the floor. It was sequenced and sparkling. Her hair was curled and hung just past her shoulders. "Steve isn't going to be able to take his eyes off of you."

Liz doubted it. She had to admit, her dress was beautiful. It wasn't quite as long as Natasha's or Peppers. It wasn't one length, but it wrapped around her her knees. It was a darker red then Pepper's was. It was a halter top with sequence decorating the top half. Pepper had been curling her hair for the past two hours. She had finally finished and was pinning a few select pieces back with pins.

"It's your fault for having so much hair," Pepper mumbled. "There, done." Pepper walked around her so she was looking at her from the front. She pulled a few pieces of hair forward so they were resting on her shoulders. "Now remember, a lot of the people here are business associates of Tony's. You don't need to socialize with any of them. Just stick with Steve."

"And relax," Natasha added. "Everything's going to be fine."

There was a knock on the door. "Hey, everyone decent?"

Pepper chuckled. "Come in Tony."

Tony entered the room. He was dressed in a black suit with a red tie tat matched Pepper's dress perfectly. He smirked and crossed the room to Pepper. She let out a soft giggle when he kissed her passionately.

Natasha cleared her throat. "We do have a party to get too."

"People are waiting downstairs," Clint said as he entered the room, Steve wasn't too far behind him. "Thor just got here with Jane. Darcy is here too." He smiled at Natasha. "Looking good Nat." Natasha rolled her eyes.

"The Fantastic Four is here as well," Steve added. "Reed is looking for you Tony." Steve put an arm around Liz's waist. "Ready to go meet some new friends?"

* * *

"Liz I wish for you to meet Jane and Darcy," Thor said, gesturing to the two women beside him. Steve and Liz had dropped there stuff at one of the tables near the front of the room and then headed to the area were people were talking and mingling quietly.

The woman with brown hair, the one whom Thor had his arm around, held out her hand. "Hello Liz, I'm Jane. Thor has told us so much about you." Liz shook Jane's hand.

The younger woman, the one with Black hair, waved at her. "Sup. I'm Darcy. The assistant."

Jane rolled her eyes and nudged Darcy playfully. They seems close. almost like sisters.

"Are you two spending the night?" Steve asked.

Jane shook her head. "Mom flew in for Christmas. She's staying with me for the week."

"I am spending the morning with the Avengers and then going to meet Jane and her mother for lunch tomorrow," Thor explained.

"I've got to drive upstate tomorrow to my grandmothers house," Darcy explained. "Family togetherness and what not. I'm leaving before the sun gets up. Super lame, but you know how it is."

Liz nodded, even though she didn't know what it was like to have that kind of family togetherness.

"We'll see you three later, I've still got to introduce Liz to some people," Steve said. Thor nodded and Steve led her away.

"So they are the Fantastic Four?" Liz whispered to Steve as her led her over to a group of four people. Well three people (two men and a woman) and one man who seemed to made entirely out of orange rock. Not that Liz was judging him or anything. She was the last person who was going to judge anyone because of the way that they looked. She had a tail for crying out loud. She had heard of the Fantastic Four before, but she hadn't seen them. Not even in photographs. She had been so out of touch with the word for such a long time. The only reason she knew about the avengers was because she happened to be in a hotel with Cable at the time of the Chitauri invasion.

Steve nodded and walked over to the group.

The woman smiled at them as they approached. "Steve!"

Steve smiled. "Susan. How are you?"

Sue smiled. "Wonderful," She turned her attention to Liz and smiled. "Hello."

Liz smiled shyly. "Hi."

"Liz meet the Fantastic Four," Steve said, gesturing to the group in front of them. "Susan Storm," He point to the pretty woman who had been talking before.

"Richards technically," Susan corrected.

Steve smiled. "My apologies. Susan's husband, Reed Richards." Steve gestured to the man who had an arm wrapped around Susan's waist. He smiled and held out a hand, which Liz took and shook.

"Thats Sue's brother Johnny," He point the the younger looking man. It was obvious the two were siblings. Blonde hair and blue eyes aside, they definitely looked alike.

"Hey," Johnny said, winking at her. Either Steve didn't notice or he pretended not to because he moved on to the orange rock man.

"And this is Ben Grimm," The orange rock man, Benjamin, nodded at her and smiled a surprising warm smile

"Johnny, Ben, Reed, Sue, this is Liz," Steve squeezed her waist slightly. "My girlfriend." Just the fact that he vocalized it to a group of people made Liz's insides tingle.

Steve said goodbye to his friends and drag Liz onto the dance floor. The music was slow and Steve was smiling and his hands were warm on her waist.

"What did you thing of the Fantastic four?" He asked softly as they swayed back and forth to the music.

"They seemed nice. Do you guys spend a lot of time together?"

"Enough. Tony and Reed keep in contact on a daily basis and Clint and Johnny are pretty close."

"So Ben is obviously the Thing and Sue is clearly the Invisible Woman. Im amusing Reed is Mr. Fantastic?"

"You assume correctly."

"Which mean Johnny is the Human Torch."

"Very nicely deduced Elizabeth."

Liz frowned. "Why do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Call me Elizabeth when we're alone?"

Steve shrugged. "Its a beautiful name. If it really bothers you that much-"

Liz shook her head. "No. For whatever reason, when it comes from you, I don't mind." She leaned up and kissed Steve softly on the lips.

Steve smiled. "I'm going to say something. Don't freak out okay?"

Liz nodded.

"I think I might be in love with you."

Liz's eyes widened slightly. "W-what?"

"I love you Elizabeth."

Liz could feel tears forming in her eyes. "I love you too Steve." They kissed again.

Liz felt Steve pull back. She opened her eyes and saw Tony whispering something into Steve's ear. Tony seemed annoyed and as he continued to whisper she see Steve's look turn into one of annoyance as well.

"Seriously?" He mumbled.

Tony nodded. "I know. He promised it will only take about thirty minutes. Pep said she would distract our guests while the six of us go talk to the one eyed wonder."

"Okay."

Tony smirked. "Really? I was hopping I would be able to tell him to go fuck himself. Suppose not," He smiled at Liz. "Sorry about this Little Bit. I promise I'll bring him back really soon."

"Where-"

"Don't worry about," Steve interrupted. He kissed her. "Be back before you even know I'm gone." And with that Tony and Steve disappeared into the crowd. Liz sighed. She went back to where she had put her purse, grabbed her cellphone, made her way over to the bar, and sat down on one of the stools. She ordered a drink, and folded her arms in her lap.

"Why so blue?" Johnny Storm said as he took a seat next to her.

Liz smiled at him. "Hello Johnny."

"You didn't answer my question."

"Steve had to go do some Avengers related thing. The only people I really know here are the Avengers. Well and Pepper, but she's busy playing hostess."

"You know me," Johnny said, taking a sip of his drink.

Liz rolled her eyes. "I just met you."

"From what I can gather you just met the Avengers too. And you're already dating one of them."

"I met Steve three weeks ago."

"That's not that long sweetheart."

Liz's drink appeared in front of her and she picked it up. "It's long enough."

Johnny laughed. "And that means what exactly?"

Liz shrugged. "From experience I know that people don't tend to stick around very long."

"Jeez way to be a downer."

"Never really had anyone who stuck around. I mean my family sure. When I was a kid anyway."

"You don't have many friends do you?" Johnny didn't sound like he was trying to be mean. Honestly he just sounded curious.

Liz shook her head. "No. I have Steve, and I like to think of the other Avengers as my friends. Pepper too. But other then that no. I don't. Sort of a lone wolf you know?"

Johnny nodded. "I gotcha," He swirled the liquid in his glass before looking u at her. "Give me your phone."

She frowned. "Um, what?"

"Just let me see your phone," He put his glass on the bar and held out his hand. Liz raised an eyebrow skeptically, but picked up the phone from where it had been sitting on the bar and handed it to him. He played around for a minute before handing it back to her. He had added his number.

"You added your number," She said, knowing that she sounded like a moron.

Johnny rolled his eyes. "Duh. Well I guess its fitting Captain Obvious is dating Captain America. Just in case you ever need to, you know, talk or whatever. Text me, call me. You seem like you could use a friend."

"That's very kind of you," She smirked. "You are aware I'm taken."

Johnny laughed. "don't get me wrong sweetie. Your gorgeous, but even I'm not stupid enough to go after Captain America's girl."

Liz laughed. They talked for a while until Steve found her. He didn't seemed concerned or worried. He was confused for a moment, before asking if he could steal Liz for a few moments.

"All yours Cap," Johnny said before disappearing back into the crowd.

"What was that about?" Steve asked as he took her hand and pulled her into a hug.

Liz smiled. "I think i just made a friend."

* * *

**I love the Fantastic Four and I adore Johnny. So I added them. I will probably categorize this as a crossover later on in the story. The Fantastic Four will be in the story more later on. To be truthfully honest I am having issues writing Pepper and Tony's New Year's wedding. I wrote it twice and it just didn't seem right to me. If anyone has any ideas as the what should happen (or if you would be interested in helping me write it) PM me or leave a review with suggestions. Don't forget to leave feedback! Until next time! -SilentlyWandering**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey there everyone! I hope you're enjoying the story! Here's the next chapter :).**

**Disclaimer: Liz belongs to me, the Marvel Characters and world do not**

* * *

Steve woke up Christmas morning at five o'clock. It was the time he would usually go for a run. today, however, he decided to stay in bed because of the beautiful girl sleeping beside him. Liz had spent the night in Steve's room on twice after the initial night that the two made the decision to move into the tower together.

They never did anything more then sleep, but Steve knew she savored the comfort at his embrace as much as he savored the comfort of hers. Steve glanced down at her. Her dark hair cascaded down her shoulders and covered her face slightly. Steve had one arm around her and she had one arm thrown across his chest. Her knees were tucked up slightly and a small smile graced her face.

They had all agreed that they would meet at eight for breakfast and they would exchange gifts as well. Steve was perfectly content laying there, his arm around his wonderful girlfriend. He dozed off once or twice and before he knew it it was seven thirty.

Liz began to stir around seven thirty five. She groaned and her eyes blinked open.

"Morning," She mumbled.

Steve leaned down and kissed her. "Good morning. How did you sleep?"

She smiled. "Wonderfully. You?"

Steve smiled. "Pretty good."

Ella pushed herself up and stretched. Steve sat up as del and swung his legs over the side of the bed. Liz wrapped her arms around his neck from behind and kissed his cheek. "So I hear that you and Pepper are making breakfast?"

Steve chuckled. "Yep."

"What are you making?'

"It's a surprise."

"Come on tell me!" Liz giggled.

Steve shook his head and stood up. Liz wasn't going to give up though. She kept her arms linked around his neck and swung her legs around his waist. Steve laughed and held he legs. "Nice try Elizabeth, but I'm not going to tell you."

"Then your just going to have to carry me until you do," She giggled, resting her head on his shoulder.

"You're crazy," He whispered.

"Probably," She replied. "Though it hasn't been clinically proven."

Steve laughed and released her legs. She unwrapped her legs from his was it and slid onto the floor, though her arms remained wrapped around him. She was too short to reach around his neck while she was standing on the floor, but she hugged his arms and buried her head in his back. "Mmm," she mumbled. "You're very cuddly."

Steve laughed and spun around to wrap his arms around her. "I have your Christmas present," He whispered. " was going to put it under the tree, but I wanted to give it to you while we were alone"

"Steve you didn't have to-"

"I wanted to," He interrupted.

Liz smiled. "Well I got you something too."

"Liz-"

Steve was stopped by Liz's finger over his lips. "You're allowed to get me something. I'm allowed to get you something. That's how relationships work right?"

Steve smiled and nodded, though he would have been just as happy to spend the day with her. He released her and walked over to the dresser, pulling something out of the top drawer. He turned around and handed her a small, rectangular box, that was covered in shiny green paper and was topped with a red bow.

He handed it to her. "Merry Christmas Elizabeth." She smiled and took it. She unwrapped it carefully, saving the bow. Once it was unwrapped she opened the box.

"Oh Steve," She whispered. Inside was a silver, oval shaped, locket. The edges were adorned with intricate vine-like designs. She carefully removed it from the box and set the box to the side. She opened it and was greeted with the picture the stranger had taken of them at the ice rink. They were bundled up and the wind was blowing her hair. They were both smiling and Steve has his arms around her, preventing her from falling. The other side was empty. "It's beautiful."

Steve smiled and reached over. "It opens again." He opened it to the other side to reveal two more empty slots. "I figured you could put whatever you wanted in there."

Liz stepped forward and kissed him. "I love it," She held it out to him, "Put it on for me?"

She held her hair up and Steve clasped it around her neck. It wasn't too long and rested right around her collar bone. "Thank you. Do you want your gift?"

Steve smiled. "You really didn't have to."

Liz smiled and knelt down next to the bed. She pullet out a bag from underneath.

Steve laughed. "You hid it under _my _bed?"

Liz shrugged. "I put it here last night while you were in the shower." She handed Steve the bag. He took it and sat down and the bed. He looked inside and smiled.

"Wow," He whispered and he began pulling out the books.

"I hep you like them. I was shorting through some stuff at the store and I realized we had a bunch of books from the 20's and 30's. I gathered a bunch of those, but I also threw in some of my favorites."

He pulled out a familiar book. "Like Harry Potter?"

Liz blushed. "Guilty."

Steve laughed. "Brave New World, The Hobbit, you even got me a copy of Winnie the Pooh."

Liz shrugged. "I figured you could, you know, have a library. Something that can combine things from your old life and your new one and I know that it isn't much bu-" Steve stopped her rambling by standing up and kissing her.

He wrapped his arms around her waist and she leaned her head on his chest. "I love it," He whispered.

"Really?" She asked.

"Really," Steve pulled back and took her hand. "Come on. Pepper will kill me if we're late to breakfast."

* * *

It was strange to see the Avengers lounging around in their pajamas (Especially Thor). Pepper and Steve were standing at the stove. Pepper was mixing batter while Steve was flipping pancakes. The two had been making pancakes, bacon, and eggs for the last thirty minutes. Natasha and Clint sat on one side of the Table. Liz was seated next to Clint. There was an empty seat on her other side that was reserved for Steve when he was done cooking. Tony was sitting next to the empty seat on the other side. There was a second empty seat next to Tony the was meant for Pepper, but was currently occupied by Tony's feet. Thor sat next to the other seat.

"So, kid, I was think," Tony began.

"Uh oh," Clint muttered. "Tony was thinking."

"Ha ha," Tony said rolling his eyes. "Anyway, Liz, I think I'm going to give your your gift now, why we're all waiting," He reached under the table and pulled out an envelope. He passed it across the the table to Liz. "I'm afraid your going to have to burn it later, but here you go."

Liz frowned and opened to envelope. There was a simple Christmas card inside. When she opened it a piece of folded paper fell out onto the table. Tony had scribbled something at the bottom.

_Welcome to the family._

Liz frowned and opened the paper up. There were numbers and letter scribbled next to words such as _Floor 2 _and _Tower entrance._

"Tony…" Liz whispered.

Tony smiled. "Yep. It's for show of course, after breakfast we can plug your information into the system. Thumbprints, give you and id code, facial recognition. You, little lady, will have access to the entire tower."

"I don't know what to say," Liz whispered.

Tony shrugged. "You've proven we can trust you."

Liz looked over her shoulder at Steve, was smiling at her. She shook her head slightly and Steve's smile disappeared. And she knew that he knew what she was thinking. She had been keeping a secret from them. Tony knew she was and he still gee her the codes to the tower.

"Liz, you don't-"

She turned back to Tony. "I have to show you all something." She stood up and walked over to Steve. She grabbed his arm and pulled him toward the elevator. She heard the other get up and follow them.

"Where are we going?" Clint asked.

"The pool," Steve guessed and Liz nodded.

"I thought we were going to enjoy the meal the Captain and Lady Pepper prepared and then partake in the tradition of exchanging gifts," Thor sound very confused.

"Seriously little bit, why are we going to the pool? I though you said-" Tony began.

"I know," Liz interrupted. "But I can't accept the codes to the tower when I've been keeping something this big from all of you."

Natasha frowned and cocked her head to the side. They all crammed into the elevator (though not really crammed because the elevator was fairly large). They waited while tony hit the right button for the floor that the pool was on. The elevator began to move. It was the most awkward two minutes of Liz's life. When the doors opened, they filed out and headed toward the pool.

The room was slightly humid, but the pool was huge and the water was clear.

"Okay kiddo, we're here. What's the deal?" Tony asked, leaning against the wall.

Liz took and deep breath and turned to Steve. He hugged her briefly and nodded. She walked over to the edge of the deep end of the pool and, before her courage abandoned her, jumped in.

She felt the change almost instantly. She opened her eyes and saw the familiar faint shimmery glow that surrounded her when she changed. Her legs seemed to merge together. They took on a darker tint before become completely black and turned into a tail. Her shirt seemed to dissolved into thin air and her bathing suit top appeared. She closed her eyes before pushing toward the surface.

She took a deep breath when she broke the top of the water. She turned to look at the Avengers.

Steve was smiling at her. He had seen her with tail, but he had never see her transform. Thor seemed shocked, though not as much as the others. Liz supposed he had seen stranger things. Pepper's hand covered her mouth. Her eyes were wide. Natasha seemed more puzzled then surprised. She was the person Liz had the most trouble reading on a daily basis. Clint's expression was almost comical. Liz swore that his jaw would ht the floor if it dropped any more and he eyes were so large she was afraid that they would burst. Bruce's expression was one of curiosity. While he seemed mildly surprised, he seemed curious as to how this was eve possible. Tony's look was similar to Clint's, though not nearly as dramatic.

Tony was the first to speak. "Huh."

Steve walked over to the edge of the pool and knelt down. He held his hand out to her. She took it and he helped lift her out of the water and onto the ground.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you," Liz whispered. "I wanted to, but I couldn't bring myself to do it."

Natasha frowned. "Why not?"

Liz took a deep breath. "In the past, when I revealed what I am to people, they just…." She couldn't finish, but she felt that she didn't have to. Steve hugged her close to him.

The first person to say something was Clint. "So can you like…breath underwater or…."

Liz couldn't help it. She laughed. She shook her head. "I don't think so. I mean, I can hold my breath pretty much indefinitely, but I'm not sure that I can actually breath underwater."

Tony smirked. "Why are you crying little bit?"

Liz shrugged. "I don't know. I thought…"

"Thought what?" Natasha asked. "That Tony would kick you out?"

Liz nodded.

Tony snorted. "As if. I mean we keep Bruce around, and he doesn't look nearly and pretty as you do when he changes. No offense Bruce."

Bruce chuckled. "None taken."

Pepper and apparently recovered and walked over to where they kept the towels. She retrieved one and brought it over to Liz. "It's actually pretty cool." Pepper whispered with a smiled. Steve took the towel and wrapped it around Liz's shoulders.

"It is not the strangest thing I have ever seen," Thor added. Liz suppose she should have guessed that considering he grew up in Asgard.

"So how do you," Tony was waving his hand randomly. "You know, switch back?"

Liz chuckled. "When, I'm dry enough, I can sort of…will myself to change," She explained

Tony nodded. "Well hurry up."

Liz frowned. "Why?"

"Well, we have to scan your finger prints into the tower's systems. I gave you a Christmas gift, no way am I taking it back."

* * *

Liz hugged her knees to her chest and rested her chin on top of them. She watched the water in the pool. It was relatively still, but was illuminated beautifully by the lights. After she had changed back, the team had gone back to kitchen. She had told them her story while they ate breakfast and exchanged gifts. There was a point in her story (she was pretty sure it was the part about her relationship with her parents) that Bruce's eyes had taken on a green tint. She had taken a deep breath, closed his eyes, and relaxed a bit. Luckily the Hulk did not make an appearance.

"Can the lights change colors JARVIS?" Liz asked softly.

"What color do you desire Miss?"

Liz smiled. "Can you put it on, like, shuffle or something?"

Immediately the lights began going through the colors. Not just the colors of the rainbow, but the in between ones as well. Pale pink, periwinkle, magenta, all of them. Each color illuminated the water and was beautiful.

"Late night swim?"

Liz jumped slightly and turned to see Bruce Banner heading toward her. She chuckled. "No. Just…..watching the water I suppose."

Bruce sat down next to her and crossed his legs. He stared at the water as well. They sat there for a while. Every now and then one of them would reach out and touch the surface of the water, sending ripples through it.

"How do you do it?" Liz asked.

"Excuse me?" Bruce asked. He sounded confused, but not at all insulted.

"How do you control when the Hulk comes out. You seem to have it completely under control," She avoided eye contact. "Sorry if that was rude. I didn't mean for it to be I just…I don't know."

Bruce shook his head. "No. Not rude at all. It took a while. First I tried removing myself from…. well from everything. I focused on helping people. Meditation helped when I got too anger. It took time, but eventually I learned how to…not control the Hulk exactly, but to redirect the rage," Bruce chuckled. "For whatever reason, the other guy listens to Steve. Well not Steve exactly, but Captain America." Bruce paused. "How do you control it?"

Liz laughed. "I'm not sure. At first I thought it was the amount of water. From what I could gather the water has some sort of chemical reaction with my skin and I change. But now I'm starting to think other thinks play a role in it as well. I mean, and I know this is going to sound unbelievably corny, but when I'm with Steve, changing is the farthest thing from my mind. I have almost complete control."

Bruce nodded. "I had a friend like that. We were close. Very close. But the Hulk put her in danger. I haven't seen her in a very long time."

Liz looked at Bruce. There was a certain sadness about him. She scooted closer and wrapped an arm around him in a friendly hug. "I'm sorry."

Bruce shook his head. "Don't be. I found a new family. A good family."

Liz smiled. "Me too."

* * *

**So the other Avengers know! I probably should have mentioned this before, but, in this story, Iron Man 3 did not happen (But Thor: The Dark World did). Sorry for not mentioning this sooner. My fault :(. I hope it doesn't ruin the story for you. I have the basic outline of this story already planed out, as well as the beginnings of a sequel. To those who have reviewed, thank you so much and to everyone who is reading this, thank you so much. Until the next chapter -SilentlyWandering.  
**


	9. Chapter 9

**So I finished writing the story! I will upload the rest of the chapters over the nest few days. Here's the next chapter!**

**Disclaimer: Liz is mine. That's about it.**

* * *

"Oh my god," Liz exclaimed as she walked into Steve's room and flopped down on his bed.

Steve chuckled and marked his place in the book he was reading. "What's wrong?"

Liz rolled over so she was staring up at Steve's face. "Pepper is driving me insane!"

Steve smiled and began running his hand through her hair. "Oh?"

Liz sighed and closed her eyes. "Is it my fault that they decided that have their wedding less then a month after getting engaged? I want to help, I really really do, but she is driving me crazy!"

Steve bent down and kissed her forehead. "How are things on the wedding planning front?"

Liz threw her hands back and sighed. "Okay I suppose. Tony's lucky he's rich. And you know, Iron Man. He had very few problems getting everything booked on such short notice. The only thing left to do now is actually throw the party."

"Does Pepper have a dress?"

Liz nodded. "We got it yesterday. Again, she's lucky she's marrying Tony Stark."

Steve rolled his eyes. "Why do you think I'm up here? Tony's been putting us to work all morning, moving chairs and tables, all that fun stuff. I needed a break."

Liz laughed. "You couldn't handle moving some tables?"

Steve shook his head. "The tables, yes. Tony's whining about how they aren't in the right place and that I need to move them again, not so much."

Liz sighed and moved over so her head was resting in his lap. He began to leisurely pull his hands through her hair. "Two more days, then they'll be married and everyone will be able to breathe again."

"Captain Rogers, Mr. Stark request your presence," JARVIS's said.

Steve groaned. "Want to get out of here?"

Liz jumped up. "I thought you'd never ask."

* * *

Liz laughed and rested her head on Steve's back. Steve had taken her out on the motorcycle multiple times and she had grown to love it. He hand gotten her a leather jacket similar to his that she wore when they went riding. It was cold, but it wasn't snowing. Steve maneuvered the bike like a professional and Liz trusted him entirely. They were currently ridding around Central Park. She loved seeing new parts of the city. Steve usually took her to a different place each time they went out, but they had been to central park a few times. She had to say that it was her favorite place in the city. Steve pulled the bike to a stop and she got off. She handed him her helmet and he hung it on one of the handle bars. He still had not gotten a second helmet. It made her nervous, but he assured her that he didn't need one.

Steve took her hand and led her over to a bench near by. He sat down and pulled her down next to him. She swung her legs up and wrapped them across his lap. he wrapped his arms around her and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I love you." He whispered.

"I love you," She whispered back. She leaned into kiss him again when her phone rang.

She groaned and answered it. "Yes?"

"Where are you! We were supposed to go and pick up the brides made dresses!'

Liz rolled her eyes and mouthed 'Pepper' before responding. "Yeah, I'm sorry. Steve and I just went out for a ride, we're heading back now," Steve pouted and Liz chuckled silently.

"Okay, fine. Hurry up though. We have a a lot to do," She hung up before Liz could respond.

"So I suppose we have to go," Steve sighed and stood up. They got back on the bike.

They made it about twenty feet before the were ran into by something, or rather someone, large and fast. The bike jerked out form under them and sent them flying. Steve managed to wrap and arm around Liz before they crashed into the side of a tunnel. Liz felt something snap in her ankle and pain flared up her leg. Steve groaned and sat up. He had a cut on his head that was dripping blood down the side of his face.

"You okay?" He asked before standing up and offering a hand to her.

Liz winced and nodded. "Hurt my ankle. You?"

Steve touched the cut on his head. "Nothing serious."

"What the heck was that?" Liz asked as Steve went to check the damage on his bike.

Steve shook his head. "Not something, someone." So he had seen it too. He was frowning like he was concentrating on something. Liz grunted and struggled to stand. When she attempted to put pressure on her injured ankle the pain flared up again. She winced and let out a soft cry.

Steve's serum enhanced hearing picked it up though. He turned and, abandoning his bike, made his way over to her. He knelt in front of her and gently brushed his fingers over her ankle. She winced at the contact.

"Yeah, Bruce is gonna have to take a look at that. I'm assuming you can't put pressure on it?"

Liz frowned at him and placed her foot gently on the ground. "Ah," She cried out and picked it back up, eating against the tunnel wall. "Yeah, lets chalk that up to a no."

Steve frowned. "The bikes engine is pretty much shot," He picked Liz up bridal style in one quick motion. She gasped.

"What are you doing?" She asked.

"The bike's shot and you can't walk. I'm carrying you back to the tower," Steve readjusted her a bit and started walking.

"Oh you two aren't going anywhere," A voice said from behind them. Steve whirled around and was face to face with one of the kids from the other day. It was the big guy who had been attached to the girl. Despite the chill in the air he was wearing nothing but shorts and a muscle shirt. He was smirking and his arms were crossed. "Now Captain, just put the pretty little mermaid down and you can walk away."

Steve's grip tightened slightly. "Not gonna happen."

The boy cocked his head to the side. "Shame. Ace isn't gonna like that."

"Ace?" Liz whispered, shrugging backwards into Steve's embrace.

The boy frowned. "You really don't remember anything do you? I mean Ace told us you weren't at Faolan all that long, but you should remember something."

"Who are you?" Steve asked.

The boy smirked. "The names TJ," He crouched into a fighting stance. "And Ace wants his mermaid back." He launched himself at them. Steve ran forward as well, kicking his leg out and knocking the boy off balance. He recovered quickly and lunged at Steve. Liz was surprised to see that they were relatively close in strength. They were pushing against each others arms, neither giving up even the slightest.

Steve had better training though. His technique was cleaner and smoother. He was able to kick TJ's legs out from under him. He seemed dazed, but was recovering. Steve turned, scooped Liz up again, and began to run.

"What the hell was that about," Liz asked, wrapping her arms around his neck as he picked up speed.

Steve didn't answer.

Liz frowned and glanced over his shoulder. They had lost TJ. "Steve you lost him. You can stop now."

Still no answer. Steve continued to run, zig zagging through people and ignoring the occasional comment about if they needed any help.

Liz rubbed the back of his neck gently. "Steve." He didn't stop until they reached the tower. He was sweating despite the cold and his breathing was uneven. They rode the elevator up to the main floor.

Pepper and Tony were sitting on the couch waiting for them. They both rose and walked over to them when they saw the disheveled and slightly bloody state that they were in.

"What the hell?" Tony asked. Pepper pushed Steve toward the couch.

"We were attacked," Liz said as Steve placed her gently on the couched. Pepper disappeared into the kitchen to get ice.

Steve grabbed a pillow and placed it carefully under her swollen ankle. "It was one of those kids, from the bomb threat," He explained.

Tony frowned. "These kids are starting to annoy me."

"He mentioned a place," Liz said. "Somewhere called Faolan. Heard of it?"

Tony's frown deepened. "No," He said as Pepper returned with a bag of ice. She handed it to Steve who placed in on Liz's ankle. "But he said that I spent sometime there. "She rubbed her head with the palm of her hand. "I don't remember it though."

Steve squeezes her knee. "We'll figure it out."

Pepper frowned. "Should I go get Bruce?"'

Tony shook his head. "JARVIS can you tell Banner we need him up here?"

"Of course Sir."

Steve stood up. "I had to leave my bike. I'm going to go-"

"No you're not," Tony said. "You're going to sit down, let Banner examine your head, and I don't want any of that 'it's already healed' crap because you still may very well have a concussion and you know it. CLint and I can go get your bike."

Liz smiled. "Took the words right our of my mouth. Thanks Tony."

Tony winked at her.

"Hey JARVIS said you needed me?" Bruce said as he exited the elevator. He frowned. "What happened?"

* * *

"I can't believe it," Pepper said, frowning.

Liz rolled her eyes. "It really isn't the end of the world Pep. Flats will look just as nice as heels with my dress I promise," Liz said. She was sitting at the table with Pepper and Natasha. It was the night before the wedding and Pepper had yet to stop complaining about the fact that Liz had to be in a cast for the wedding. Liz thought it was pretty funny that Pepper seemed more upset about the whole situation then she did. Luckily Bruce had been able to match the cast color precisely with Liz's dress. If he hadn't be able to do that, Pepper would have really lost it.

Natasha rolled her eyes. "It's not the not the end of the world."

Liz nodded. "Tomorrow you and Tony are going to usher in the New Year with the biggest celebration in the city."

Pepper smiled slightly. "Still can't believe we pulled this off."

Natasha noted. "I've got to give you credit."

Pepper shrugged. "I guess Tony really proved that anything is possible if you through enough money at it."

Liz rolled her eyes and shifted into a slightly more comfortable position. "We should probably go get some sleep."

Natasha nodded. "Yeah Pepper, you especially."

"Are you ready to become Mrs. Pepper Stark?" Liz asked.

Pepper nodded slowly. "Yes. I believe I am."

* * *

The ceremony was wonderful. Despite the extravagance of the reception, Pepper and Tony had walked down the isle and exchanged simple vows. Pepper had looked gorgeous. Her dress was a ball gown style sleeveless dress. The white roses on the dress created a pattern around her waist and trailed down to the floor. Natasha, Jane, and Liz had been dressed in similar, sleeveless maroon dresses. Natasha had worn heels while Liz had been stuck in flats because of her cast.

"Are you enjoying yourself?" The voice made her smile. She spun around and was face to face with Johnny Storm. He held a glass of wine in one hand and his sister was holding onto his other arm.

Liz smiled. "Johnny! Sue!" She hugged Johnny briefly. "It's good to see you again." She frowned. "Where are-"

Sue interrupted her. "Reed is working on something important in the lab," She frowned. "He promised that he would be here later. Ben's actually here with Alicia somewhere." She pat her brothers arm. "Johnny agreed to be my 'date' until Reed got here."

Johnny shrugged. "Brothers have to look out for there sisters."

Sue rolled her eyes. "Shut up Johnny."

"So what did you do to your foot kiddo?" Johnny asked.

"Don't call me kiddo," Liz moved her foot a bit. "It was nothing. Motorcycle accident."

"Oh my god," Sue whispered. "I assume you were with Steve? Are you both alright?"

Liz nodded. "Minor damage nothing to serious."

Johnny nodded. "Glad your okay."

"I was just going to get a drink, care to join me?" Liz asked.

Liz and the Storm siblings made their way over to the bar. Liz and Sue sat on stools next to each other. Johnny was leaning against the bar on the opposite side of Sue.

"So where's your boy toy?" Johnny asked.

Liz rolled her eyes. "Steve had to take care of something S.H.E.I.L.D related. not exactly sure what."

A strong arm wrapped around her shoulder. "Nothing you need to worry about." Steve pressed a kiss to the side of her face.

"Sup Capsicle," Johnny said raising his glass at Steve.

"You've been talking to Tony entirely to much," Steve said.

Sue smiled. "Hi Steve."

"Hello Sue, what did you think of the Ceremony?"

Sue smiled and nodded. "Where are the newly weds?"

"Right here," Tony was beaming and leading Pepper over to them. Pepper was radiant and smiling. She seemed completely at ease despite the stress that had been escalating the past few weeks.

Steve smiled. "Congratulations," He pat Tony on the back and kissed Pepper's cheek.

Tony beamed. "I still can't believe we pulled this off." Pepper elbowed him gently and he chuckled. "Okay fine, that you pulled it off. Al I did was pay for it."

Johnny laughed. Sue's phoned beeped and she checked it. "Reeds here," She exclaimed. "Better find him before midnight." She grabbed Johnnys arm and pulled him away.

"By kiddo!" Johnny called over his shoulder.

Tony grabbed Pepper's arm. "We'll see you two around!" She pulled her away.

"One minute till midnight!" Someone from the back of the room called.

Steve held his hand out to Liz, who took it.

Liz smiled up at Steve and he smiled down at her. "I love you," Liz whispered.

"I love you too," Steve replied. There foreheads pressed together. The clock struck midnight and Steve pressed his lips to hers. They stayed like that while Tony summoned his Iron Man armor and picked Pepper up bridal style. The happy newly weds disappeared into the night sky.

* * *

**Sorry for sort of grazing over Pepper and Tony's wedding. Maybe I will do a one shot that goes more into depth about it later on if enough people want it. Please don't forget to review! Until next time -SilentlyWandering**


	10. Chapter 10

**Here you go. Another chapter. Enjoy!  
**

**Disclaimer: Still not mine.**

* * *

Life had been pretty uneventful in the weeks following Pepper and Tony's wedding. The happy newly weds had taken off to some unknown location. Pepper had promised they would be back in three weeks, a month tops.

"It's that a long time to be away?" Liz asked Clint after they had been gone for two weeks.

Clint shrugged. "Tony doesn't like to do things small. I'm glad there having some fun."

Liz shrugged and turned her attention back to the video game Clint was trying to teach her how to play. Bruce had taken another look at her ankle and agree that, as long as she rested it, and kept the boot on, he could take the plaster cast off. Clint had been doing his best to keep her attention off the fact that she couldn't really do very much. He even kept her company at work sometimes.

At firs the had tried taking her swimming. They soon discovered that the fin on the bottom of Liz's tail were tender and slightly torn. It had hurt when she tried to move in the water. So Clint had abandoned the idea and had been teaching her different video games and spending time with her in the Library.

She knew he was distracting her. Steve had ten spending as much time as he could looking up what Faolan was. TJ hadn't given them much information, but the information he did give them was enough to make Steve nervous.

Liz sighed andrew her controller onto the coffee table. "Thanks for trying Clint, but we both know I suck at this kind of stuff."

Clint shrugged. "So what do you want to do?"

"No offense or anything, but I want to spend time with my boyfriend."

CLint smiled sadly. "Yeah I know. But he's just doing what he thinks is right."

"Where is he anyway?"

Clint shrugged. "Probably at S.H.E.I.L.D HQ."

"Do you know if he found anything?"

Clint shrugged again. "Not sure. The guys been really secretive about the whole thing. Not sure why," Clint smirked. "Wanna go ambush him?"

Liz frowned. "Your boss won't be mad?"

Clint laughed. "Oh he's going to be furious," He stood up and offers her his hand. "All the more reason to go."

* * *

They found Steve hunched over one of the computers that housed all of S.H.E.I.L.D's known data. He was in his civilian clothes and his hair was slightly disheveled. Liz frowned. He was usually gone before she got up and didn't get home until well after she had gone to bed. She knew he still came in and ooh his spot next to her because every now and then she would stir from unconsciousness and he would place a kiss on her cheek or neck. She had seen very little of him over the past few weeks. It was bothering her. He had seemed fine at the wedding.

It had ben surprisingly easy to get into this top secret headquarters. Clint had blinded her on the way there (he claimed it wasn't because of a lack of trust, but rather it was protocol) and then used his ID to get him in. They saw very few agents as they made their way to the room where Clint was sure Steve would be.

"Yo, Cap," Clint said as they approached him. "I brought you a surprise."

Steve swiveled around in his chair and frowned. It quickly turned into an almost exhausted smile and he whispered. "Hi." Clint shoved her gently toward her Captain.

"I'm gonna go find Nat, call me when your ready to go," He closed the left the room and closed the door behind him.

"You're not supposed to be here," Steve said, though his tone did not suggest he was angry at all. He actually seemed amused.

Liz crossed the room and sat down on his lap. She felt his arms go around her waist and she kissed him briefly before replying. "I haven't seen very much of you lately. I missed you."

Steve sighed and buried his head in her neck. "I'm sorry."

She shook her head and ran her fingers through his hair. "Don't apologize. Just come back to the tower."

Steve kissed her neck and lifted his head. "I can't."

"Why not?" She put her head on his shoulder.

Steve didn't answer.

"Steve?" Liz whispered.

"I," He began, burying his face in her hair. "I would never forgive myself if anything happened to you."

Liz smiled. "Ah."

"I need to find out who these people are. I need to know what they want and why they're trying to hurt you."

Liz nuzzled his neck. "Come back to the tower."

"Faolan is an Irish name. It means little wolf," Steve whispered.

"Oh," Liz whispered back, not sure exactly where he was going with this.

"It's also the name of an organization that has surfaced a few times over the past few years. S.H.E.I.L.D doesn't have much on them. I've been trying to find as much I possibly can. Which isn't much. They change locations constantly Liz. No way to really track them. I'm not sure what else to do."

Liz used her nails to rub up and down Steve's arm. His muscles were tense. "Relax. Take a deep breath and relax. I trust you. I love you and I trust you. We'll figure this out. But if someone is going to attack the city or you or me you need to be at your best," She kissed his temple. "And that means coming back to the tower, having something to eat and then taking a well deserved nap."

Steve chuckled. "Liz-"

"No."

"Elizabeth-"

"No Steve. We're going back to the tower."

Steve laughed. "Okay. Just for an hour or two."

Liz stood and and Steve followed her. Before the two of them could get to the door, it swung open and a man with an eyepatch stood in front of them.

"Director Fury, sir, I-" Steve began.

The man, Fury, held up his hand. "Save it Rogers. Care to explain?"

Steve sighed. "Fury, this is-"

"Elizabeth Jones," Fury said.

"You told him about me?" Liz whispered to Steve.

"Not in so many words. S.H.E.I.L.D knows a lot of things about a lot of people. Barton is good at what he does, but when an unauthorized person walks through our front doors, we know about it."

"Don't blame Clint, please, I just wanted to see Steve. He, well, I, sir, I'm sorry," Liz believed she had started out strong, but knew that she slowly defended into a mumbling mess.

Fury looked at Steve. "Just get her out of here. It was enough that we allowed her into medical. I don't need civilians in my HQ," Before wither could respond the director turned and left.

Steve wrapped and arm around Liz. "Sorry about that."

Liz shook her head. "No. No it was my fault."

Steve squeezed her shoulder. "Let's find Barton and get out of here."

* * *

"You sure you'll be okay?" Steve asked hugging her close. It was early April and the team had finally gotten a conclusive lead on where Faolan was located. Someone (Tony) had hacked into some super classified S.H.E.I.L.D files and found that there last place any organization named Faolan was located in Illinois. This of course meant that the six of them were going to be leaving for a few days, leaving the tower to her and Pepper.

Pepper and Tony had settled into married life quite well. Nothing had really changed. Tony still spent a lot of his time in the lab and Pepper still ran Stark industries beautifully (though now the company was her last name as well).

"I'll be fine Steve. I'll be even better once we find out who's doing all this. Just…be careful okay?" She kissed his cheek.

Steve smiled. "Always am. I'll call you when I can okay?"

Liz nodded. Steve kissed her briefly before picking up his bags and heading to the elevator. "I love you." He said before stepping into the elevator.

"I love you too," Liz smiled. She waited for the doors to close before heading back to their room. Every since Valentines Day, Liz had pretty much spent every night in Steve's room. While her clothes remained in her bedroom, she enjoyed waking up each and every morning to her wonderful soldiers embrace. Steve would usually go fro a run around five, shower and then crawl back into bed with her. He wouldn't go back to sleep, just wait until she woke up.

Liz sighed and flopped down on the bed. She pulled out her phone. 2 new text messages.

One was from Pepper.

_Hey Liz. I'm going to be in meetings all day. I'm sorry. Meet up for dinner later?_

Liz sighed again. It was Saturday and she was supposed to spend the day with Pepper. She had voluntarily stopped working weekends at the book store. She loved it there, but with everything going on, she needed her weekends free. The only time she worked on the weekend now was when Riley asked her to cover for her. She understood that Pepper had a job to do though. She sent a quick reply to her friend.

_That's fine Pepper. Do what you've gotta do. See you later. _

The second message was from Johnny. The two had talked a lot every since the Christmas Party. The met up one or twice for lunch and Johnny dropped by the book store a few times, but other then that they really only communicated through text messages.

_Hey fishy, what's up?_

Liz smirked. She didn't know how Johnny had found out about her, but somehow the fantastic Four knew. She assumed it had been Clint or Tony. She didn't mind. If Steve trusted the Fantastic Four then she trusted them too.

_Nothing. Steve's on a mission. Pepper's working. Bored. You?_

It didn't take long for him to reply.

_Oh bugging Pebbles. You know. The usually. You could come over? Hang out._

Liz replied. _Seriously?_

Two minutes later. _Yeah sure. _

Johnny texted her the address. Liz grabbed her purse and shoved her phone and wallet in it.

"JARVIS, if Pepper gets home early, let her know I went out and that I should be back in time for dinner."

"Of course Liz," the AI responded.

Liz smiled and left the building. It had been raying for the last hour or two, but it had just stopped and now it was a relatively nice day out. She decided to walk to the Baxter Building. From the address Johnny had sent her, it wouldn't take her more then twenty minutes to walk there. She took a deep breath. It was starting to get warmer again and Liz was looking forward to Tony opening the pool on top of his tower. Swimming outside was going to be nice.

She had been walking for a while and she could see the large building known as the Baxter Building in front of her. She smiled at the thought of seeing her friend again. Suddenly something large knocked into her.

"Well, well, well. The little mermaid came out to play." A male voice said menacingly.

She choked as something grabbed hold of her neck and lifted her off the ground. Liz clawed at the hands around her throat. The person, who's face she could not see, squeezed a bit tighter.

"Time to go home freak," The man whispered.

"Hey!" Someone screamed. Suddenly the pressure around her neck disappeared and she fell into a puddle on the ground, coughing and gasping. Her hand flew to her throat and she winced at how sore it was. Now she was cold and in pain. The next thing she knew Johnny was kneeling in front of her, his hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, you okay Liz?" He asked. He was in his Fantastic Four uniform.

Liz went to answer, but her throat hurt and she just wound up coughing.

Johnny winced. "Yeah that's probably going to bruise. Come on, Reed can look at that." He offered her his hand and she took it. She pulled her to her feet and let her into the building.

* * *

Liz winced as Reed's fingers poked gently around her neck. They stretched and he was able to reach around her entire neck with one finger. It was strange, but Liz wasn't judging.

"So what happened exactly?" Sue asked. She was sitting on one of the other exam tables, her legs crossed. Johnny was landing against it, his arms crossed. Ben was there as well, standing on the other side of the room with his arms crossed.

Johnny shrugged. "I was flying, you know, waiting for her to come over-"

"Why was she coming over?" Sue asked. "Not that we mind, just curious."

Liz smiled. "Avengers on a mission, Pepper was working….bored," Her voice was hoarse, but it was coming back slowly.

Johnny rolled his eyes. "As I was saying, I was flying around and some dude just attacked her, like out of nowhere. He was this big guy, but he looked like a teenager. He just grabbed her neck and started squeezing."

"And where is this guy now matchstick?" Ben asked.

Johnny shrugged again. "I knocked him off her, turned around to make sure she was okay, and then when I turned back to fight him, he was gone."

"Well there doesn't appear to be any permanent damage. You're going to be fine," Reed said removing his hands from her neck.

Liz smiled. "Thank you Mr. Richards."

Reed smiled. "Just call me Reed."

Liz nodded. "Thank you Reed."

"So do you have any idea who attacked you Liz?" Sue asked, standing up to come and sit next to her."

Liz shivered and shook her head. "That's what the Avengers are trying to figure out. A few months ago people broke into Steve's apartment and were waiting for me. That was the first incident. There've been a few more since then, but I wasn't alone. The team has been trying to figure out who's looking for me."

"You think it's got anything to do with your power?" Ben asked.

"It's not a power," Liz said, looking at her hands. "But yes. I think they're connected." Liz shivered and wrapped her arms around herself.

Sue chuckled. "Come on Liz, I can give you a shirt, that one's ruined." Sue took Liz by the arm and led her out of Reed's lab.

She wasn't sure, but she could've of sworn that she heard Johnny mutter. "Dude, my sister totally just stole my friend."

* * *

"Here you go," Sue said smilling at her and handing her the soft red t-shirt. "Don't work about giving it back either. I've got plenty of plain t-shrts."

Liz tools the shirt and shook her head. "That's fin you don't have to-"

Sue dismissed her with a wave of her hand. "It's fine really."

Liz nodded and went into the bathroom that was attached the Reed and Sue's bedroom to change. She stripped her shirt of and pulled the t-shirt on. She turned to examine herself in the mirror. She winced at the sight of her neck. Steve was going to be furious when he got home. She quickly ran her fingers threw her tangled hair and gathered up her ruined shirt.

Sue was sitting on the bed waiting for her when she came out. "You can throw it out if you'd like, though you might be able to save it." She said, gesturing to the shirt.

"I'll try to wash it when I get back to the tower. Thank you very much for the shirt," She balled up the shirt she had been wearing and draped it over her purse.

Sue rolled her eyes. "It was no big deal," She stood up and held out her hand. "Let's go find my brother."

* * *

"Are you sure you can't stay for dinner?" Johnny asked. He was polishing one of his bikes while Liz was sitting cross legged on the hood of his shinny sports car.

Liz shook her head. "No. I promised Pepper I would meet her for dinner."

Johnny wiped his hands on a rag and tossed it across the garage. "Come on at least let me walk you back to the tower or something."

Liz smiled. "If you must."

Johnny pulled on his leather jacket and offered his arm to her. Liz laughed and took it. It was getting dark by the time they left. Pepper had said they would meet in the tower lobby around seven thirty.

"So what do you think of New York?" Johnny asked.

Liz smiled. "It it by far, the best place I have ever been."

"And there's Steve. "

Liz laughed. "Well yeah."

"You love him."

"I do."

Johnny smirked.

"You're an awesome friend Johnny, but I swear if you try to kiss me I'll punch you," Liz shoved him playfully.

Johnny laughed. "Screw you fishy," The comment was entirely void of malice. "I'm not crazy. I think I've told you this before. You're Caps girl." He shoved her back. "But you're a pretty awesome friend too."

"Well I-" The next thing Liz new she was ripped away from Johnny and thrown to the ground.

"Liz! Flame On!" Johnny was on fire. He lunged at her attacker. She looked up and saw a young girl smirking at her. She could see the pointed teeth the girl sported.

"Hold on a sec sweetheart," She whispered. Johnny charged and the girl held her hands out. The next thing Liz new Johnny was on the ground soaking wet and girl kicked him and he rolled over.

The girl turned back to Liz and smiled at her. "Time to go hon." She snapped her fingers and the large boy who had tackled Steve's motorcycle before Tony and Pepper's wedding. "Grab her TJ."

Liz started to get up, but TJ grabbed her writst hard enough for her to hear something crunch and shoved her hard enough to crack her head against the pavement. The last thing she heard before she blacked out was the girls laughing.

* * *

**Cliffhanger. Sorry. I should post the next chapter relatively soon (within the next day or two). Please review. -SilentlyWandering  
**


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